Leader of Mad Crowd extremist grouping Ruslan Melnik, who was wanted by the federal police since 2004, was arrested in Saint Petersburg. The press service of the city's prosecution office informed that in 2005 five gag members were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment for "stirring up national, racial and religious hatred" and assaults on foreigners while their former leader Dmitry Borovikov was shot during detention in May 2006.

The department of the Federal Security Service on Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad oblast clarified that Melnik is accused of organization of extremist community and stirring up of national, racial and religious hatred. To note, one more criminal suspected in committing crimes through national hatred was detained in Petersburg yesterday.