Murmansk Governor stabbed by man who was guided by voices in his head

The condition of the governor of the Murmansk region Andrei Chibis has stabilised after a knife attack. The head of the region recorded the first video from hospital after surgery.

The Governor thanked the doctors who saved him and those who were worried about his condition.

The head of the regional Ministry of Health, Dmitry Panychev, said that the governor underwent surgery on his stomach.

"His condition is serious, but stable. Medical assistance was provided to the required extent. Laparotomy, revision, hemostasis were performed,” he said.

The head physician of the Apatity-Kirov hospital, Yuri Shiryaev, in turn, said that the operation lasted more than an hour. According to the doctor, the head of the region was "very lucky” because the aorta was left intact in the attack.

The attacker explains his motive

Murmansk region Governor Andrei Chibis was attacked during a meeting with local residents in the city of Apatity. The politician managed to walk to his car on his own before he was rushed to hospital.

The attacker was identified as a 42-year-old local resident, Alexander Bydanov. During his arrest, the man was wounded in the leg by a Russian Guard officer who was on duty at the event.

As the Investigative Committee of Russia said, the man who wounded the governor attacked him out of personal hostility. The attacker had previously been convicted of causing minor bodily harm.

The criminal stated that he carried out the attack at the behest of a voice he heard in his head. Reportedly, the man suffers from severe back pain and takes potent drugs. Before going to a meeting with the politician, the attacker took another dose of drugs.