The head of the ICR Bastrykin appointed to check media reports about the downed elk in an accident in the Moscow region departments to Alexander Starikov to understand the circumstances as a result of which the elk suffered. This was reported to “Lente.ru” in the TFR.
The media reported about an accident in which the driver knocked down an elk on the highway and disappeared. The wounded animal lay in a ditch for several days without help until people found it. The huntsman called the veterinary service, which came to the victim only three days later. By that time, the animal's condition had deteriorated so much that now it could be shot.
Bastrykin ordered a pre-investigation check to find out whether there was negligence in this situation, including on the part of the regulatory authorities.
In October 2021, a policeman and an employee of the hunting management committee stopped a car in the Saratov region with a State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Valery Rashkin. They found a dead elk in his trunk. A criminal case was opened against the deputy under the article on illegal hunting in the region. Rashkin confessed to killing the animal. The State Duma Commission on Mandate Issues recommended to give consent to the presentation of the Prosecutor General of Russia to deprive Rashkin of parliamentary immunity.