Union of Councils for Soviet Jews: Petersburg Nationalist Charged in Connection with Threat to Governor's Life

An extremist nationalist in St. Petersburg has been charged in connection with a threat to the life of Governor Valentina Matvienko, according to a December 14, 2005 article in the national daily Kommersant. Aleksandr Vtulkin allegedly posted a “death sentence” of the governor on an Internet forum on July 30 of this year and vowed that “the sentence will be carried out in the near future.” He was caught on a security camera at a local Internet café and was charged earlier this year with “threatening to kill.” However, Mr. Vtulkin evaded capture and left the city, only to be arrested in August upon his return.