'Gas chamber' for Russian fans

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Published time: July 04, 2012 11:44
Edited time: July 05, 2012 14:07

The Russian football supporters who were released from a Polish prison have revealed some details of their detention after clashes in Warsaw on June 12.

­The four Russian citizens talked to the journalists in their embassy in the Polish capital.  

According to them, the unrest ahead of Russia’s clash with Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland was provoked by the local hooligans, while the visiting fans were just defending themselves.

"We travel a lot around Europe and often go to other countries to watch football, but we never saw such conflicts as in Poland,” Artem Kurochkin, one of the released supporters, told ITAR-TASS news agency. “The Poles didn’t hide their aggression. During the march we were met with anti- Russian banners and slogans."

The young man also said that the Polish police didn’t treat their Russian guests lightly.  

When Artem and several others were sitting handcuffed in a police vehicle handcuffed officers asked them whether they enjoyed their stay in Warsaw and fired tear gas inside the car, closing the door.

“It was a real gas chamber,” he stressed.

As for the conditions in the detention center, the fans described them as the most primitive. They were held in double cells and learned the results of Euro 2012 games on the radio.  

Three more Russian fans remain in prison in Poland. They received two to three months prison terms for taking part in street clashes and attacking police officers.

Over 200 people were arrested before and after Russia and Poland played a 1-1 draw on June 12, 25 of them were Russians with the rest being the locals.