Russian Radio Host Stabbed in the Throat by Attacker

A radio host was stabbed in the throat by an attacker Monday as she worked at a Russian radio station.

Tatiana Felgengauer, who also works as Deputy Editor of Echo Moscow, was attacked at about 12:45 pm local time (5:45 a.m. ET) after the suspect broke into the studios, the station said.

Image: Tatiana Felgenhauer Image: Tatiana Felgenhauer

Ekho Moskvy Radio journalist Tatiana Felgenhauer. ITAR-TASS / Alamy file

The man was apprehended by security and handed over to police, it added.

Felgengauer’s injuries were believed to be not life-threatening. However, the station said she had been hospitalized and was undergoing surgery.

The station’s chief editor, Alexei Venediktov, said the assailant blinded a security guard with a gas can before carrying out the attack, and that the episode was being treated as attempted murder.

The station posted photos of what it said was the weapon and of the suspect being hand-cuffed by police.

The motive for the attack was not immediately clear but a Russian interior ministry spokesman told reporters that a preliminary investigation suggested it was driven by “personal animosity,” without elaborating. It was not known if Felgengauer knew the suspect.

Felgengauer had been on the air earlier Monday but was not broadcasting at the time of the attack.