The Sverdlovsk scientist Zezin was hospitalized the day after being interrogated by the Investigative Committee.

      The director of the Ural Federal Agricultural Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nikita Zezin, died after giving explanations to the Investigative Committee regarding a conflict with the parents of teenagers. This was reported today by the EAN agency.

      On July 20, Nikita Nikolaevich was summoned to the investigative department of the Investigative Committee for the Oktyabrsky District to provide explanations—exactly one week after the conflict with the fathers of the children who were riding ATVs on the experimental fields of Zezin's institute, causing damage to the crops. The agrarian scientist and his deputy put the minors in their car to hand them over to their parents. Two men, whose sons were among the ATV riders, began to beat the scientists.

      The day after his visit to the Investigative Committee, Nikita Zezin felt unwell and was hospitalized. A day later, he died of a heart attack. Investigators are currently checking whether his death could be related to the earlier attack, writes EAN.

      Friends of the scientist told special correspondent Vladimir Vorsobin from "Komsomolskaya Pravda" that the scientist was very worried about possible accusations of kidnapping children. He was particularly concerned that Alexander Reveruk, who accused Nikita Zezin of kidnapping his son, had previously worked in the police and, as Zezin feared, might have maintained connections in law enforcement agencies.

      More than 15 years ago, the businessman from the village of Istok, Alexander Reveruk, accused of attacking the scientist, was dismissed from the Ministry of Internal Affairs after an incident involving service weapons. In 2011, while serving in the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, he accidentally shot his partner in the groin while playing with his service weapon. The partner sustained serious injuries; however, Reveruk avoided a real sentence under the article for causing serious harm by negligence.