Russian powerlifting champion Andrey Drachev switched to bodybuilding due to knee problems. Fortunately, the injury did not prevent the athlete from showing himself in a new sport: in a few years he became one of the leaders in his region. However, the athlete did not have time to climb a step higher.
The life of a bodybuilder was suddenly interrupted when he was only 32 years old. Andrey got into a verbal skirmish with MMA fighter Anar Allahveranov, which instantly escalated into a brutal battle…
Even the police were afraid to interfere in the athletes’ fight.
Photo source: Russian Powerlifting Federation
Conflict in a cafe
A terrible incident occurred on the morning of August 20, 2017 near the Gallery cafe in Khabarovsk. Allahveranov knocked Drachev down and began mercilessly punching him in the face. The Russian athlete died from his injuries on the spot.
It all happened right in front of the surveillance camera, the recording of which was instantly made public. The people demanded an immediate trial of the murderer. The case turned out to be so resonant that the next day the Khabarovsk athletes went to a rally to express their discontent and draw the attention of the authorities to the story:
– This murder cannot be attributed to the sport of MMA or any nationality. This is a personal act. We are all close friends here: Uzbeks, Dagestanis, Russians, Chechens. And this act, it cannot even be called an animal: animals do not beat each other on the asphalt. It’s just murder, bestiality. They killed the man who brought points to the Russian team, the world record holder, the pride of the nation. Where is the honor of man? Where is the mutual respect? – said Oleg Tkachenko, president of the Pitbull MMA club.
Photo source: Anar Allahveranov’s social networks
Allahveranov was charged in the absence of premeditated murder, but it was not so easy to catch the fighter – he ran away. Two weeks later, Anar was placed on the federal wanted list and ordered payment of 500,000 rubles for the criminal’s capture.
During the investigation, it was revealed that his older brother, Natig, was serving prison time at the time of the murder for causing grievous bodily harm. One of Allahveranov Sr.’s former friends said that he created a criminal gang of fighters, which included Anar.
Litigation
After spending a month on the run, Anar decided to turn himself in to the police. As it turned out, all this time the athlete hid in a hotel on the outskirts of Khabarovsk.
In January 2018, the legal proceedings began, during which several eyewitnesses gave completely different versions of what happened. Some claimed that it was a drunken fight, others claimed that Anar was the instigator of the fight.
Photo source: Anar Allahveranov’s social networks
– I saw how Anar and Andrey exchanged numbers after the first skirmish, they wanted to meet another day and settle things. Anar spoke loudly, Andrei was calm, and then Allahveranov struck on the sly. They fell to the ground, the surroundings rushing to separate them. There was a bruise on Drachev’s face, his eyebrow was cut off, but even so he did not insult Anar. Everyone was unanimous that Anar used a “dirty” trick. He wanted to bring Drachev to some emotions, apparently he was upset by Andrey’s calm, said one of the witnesses.
Eyewitnesses also noted that none of the observers dared to separate the hot-tempered athletes, and soon they began to applaud Allahveranov’s “tricks”.
Polina, the former lover of the defendant, took part in the process. She talked about the reasons for the quarrel: it all started because Andrei called the enemy “girl”. However, her version was not recognized as reliable in court.
Photo source: DVGUPS
final verdict
As a result of the investigation, the prosecutor asked the Azerbaijani to spend 19 years in a strict regime colony under the article “murder for hooligan reasons”. The maximum penalty for this offense is life imprisonment. The lawyers disagreed with the prosecution and demanded that the act be reclassified as “intentionally inflicting serious bodily harm on the health of a person, which through negligence caused the death of the victim.” They insisted that the term be reduced to eight years.
However, the court was adamant and announced its verdict: 18 years in a strict regime colony. During the meeting, Anar regretted his act.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
– I want to apologize to Andrey’s family and relatives for the fact that I caused them so much pain with my reckless act. I did not want and did not plan, as the research states. I know what it’s like to lose a loved one. I understand Andrew’s family. If I could somehow turn back time, I would explain to myself and Andrey that I shouldn’t have fought. We have to be more tolerant of each other. But we can’t turn back time. I am very sorry and sorry. Dear court, I am willing to suffer just punishment,-said Anar during his last speech.
In addition to the criminal case, a criminal case was opened against two employees of the National Guard. According to the investigators, the security forces could have avoided the conflict: they arrived at the scene of the crime in the middle of a fight, but found no reason to arrest the athletes. It is assumed that one of the law enforcement officers was resting in the company of Allahveranov and watched the fight, persuading his colleagues not to interfere.
