{
  "id": 10785906,
  "title": "Yekaterina Schulmann says Russian election expert Alexander Kynev’s leg was broken while he was being pressured to confess to treason",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/yekaterina-schulmann-says-russian-election-expert-alexander-kynevs",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T21:30:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/30/yekaterina-schulmann-says-russian-election-expert-alexander-kynev-s-leg-was-broken-while-he-was-being-pressured-to-confess-to-treason"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Political scientist Alexander Kynev, known for his expertise in Russian regional politics and elections, had his leg broken after being held in detention on suspicion of drug trafficking, according to fellow political scientist Yekaterina Schulmann. Schulmann reported this incident on the September 29 episode of her show \"Status,\" stating that Kynev's leg was fractured in two places during his detention. However, Kynev's lawyer, Mikhail Biryukov, denied Schulmann's claim, asserting that there are no documents to support her allegations. The incident has since become public knowledge, including internationally. Kynev, who had criticized the recent elections, was initially arrested for drug charges on September 25. He was subsequently hospitalized after a beating, with doctors confirming two fractures in his lower leg. His lawyer later confirmed that he had been admitted to a hospital at the Matrosskaya Tishina pretrial detention center.",
  "summary": "Political scientist Alexander Kynev, who was arrested on drug charges, had his leg broken by people demanding that he confess to treason, fellow political scientist Yekaterina Schulmann said on the September 29 episode of her show “Status.”",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}