Special Forces Shoot Man Suspected of Stealing Posters in Yekaterinburg: Deceased's Father Raises Alarm

On the night of June 1, special operations were conducted by law enforcement in Yekaterinburg, resulting in the death of a man who allegedly stole posters from a store. According to local media reports and statements from the police, a 27-year-old man stole four pieces of posters valued at 8,000 rubles from the store on the evening of May 31. Store employees pursued the thief, but he managed to hide.

The employees called the police, who then went to the man's home. However, the authorities noted that he did not surrender, and the situation became complicated when the thief’s father intervened to speak with his son, urging him to turn himself in to the authorities. This was reported by BBC.com.

After speaking with his father, the young man did not open the door or present himself to the police, leading law enforcement to decide to breach the premises with special forces to detain him. When the police broke down the door and entered, they claimed that they saw an object resembling a weapon in the young man's hands and fired at him for safety reasons.

However, hours later, the father of the 27-year-old reported that his son was killed unjustifiably, as the young man had told him he had paid for the posters but fled out of fear when pursued. A few days later, the Ombudsman of the Sverdlovsk Region appealed to the Investigative Committee, seeking clarification on the legality of the police actions.

Meanwhile, users in Russia began posting about the incident on Twitter using the hashtag #RussianLivesMatter, paralleling the movements in the United States where the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is used as a protest slogan.