Russian activists vs. US diplomats

Russian activists want the US Ambassador to Russia to account for a hit-and-run incident involving an American diplomat, which happened eleven years ago.

300 youth activists from the Young Russia movement have gathered near the US Embassy in Moscow in support of Aleksandr Kashin, who was hit by a former Consul General in Vladivostok, Douglas Kent, back in 1998.

Activists said that earlier they had left several dozen questions concerning Kashin’s destiny on current US Ambassador John Beyrle’s blog. However, in response, the diplomat deleted all the questions.

Serving in Russia's Far East, Douglas Kent's SUV collided with Aleksandr Kashin’s car. According to police and eyewitness reports, the diplomat was drunk.

Kent was not arrested due to his diplomatic immunity and left the country soon afterwards.

The car crash left Aleksandr Kashin partially paralyzed and struggling to pay his health bills. Denied compensation by the US department of State, and by Douglas Kent, he filed and won a lawsuit in America, but the ruling was later overturned by a Federal Appeals Court.