Russia's Murmansk governor Andrei Chibis stabbed in stomach

Governor of Russia's Murmansk region Andrei Chibis, who was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting in the town of Apatity on Thursday, 5 April, is in a "serious condition".

Chibis, 45, is in a serious condition and is being operated on in the intensive care unit, Yuri Shiryaev, chief doctor of the Apatity-Kirov Hospital, was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying on Friday.

The attacker, identified as Alexander Bydanov, was detained by security guards on the spot.

According to the governor's spokesperson, the attack happened suddenly and the perpetrator did not make any demands or shout any slogans. He was quickly apprehended by a Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) officer.

Investigation is underway to determine the causes and motives.

Russia’s investigation committee said on its Telegram channel that during the interrogation, the attacker told the officials that he committed the attack because he “disliked” Andrei Chibis, although he did not know him personally.

According to the Bloomberg News report, Chibis underwent surgery for his injuries.