Mayor Anatoliy Pakhomov of Sochi, Russia, called upon the local residents to be more tolerant toward the migrant construction workers, and said: “There were no race-related clashes in Sochi, and there cannot be.”    

And head of the local Armenian community—and the Mayor’s adviser—Hrach Makeyan stated: “The Armenian side is covering the [medical] costs of the police officer who was injured during the brawl that occurred on May 25.” Also, he informed that the locals and the police have formed patrols at Chereshnya village.   

To note, the Sochi Police prevented a mass brawl between the local residents and the construction workers of the Olympic village on May 26.

The girls of Chereshnya village, in Russia’s Adler Region, had gone out for a walk in the evening and started to flirt with the Dagestani construction workers, who were very “sticky.” So, the girls complained to their brothers and boyfriends.        

As a result, the Armenian youth formed a group to protect the honor of their girlfriends and decided to take revenge upon the Dagestanis. They headed toward the Olympic village, but the construction workers immediately called the police, who arrested close to 250 people.   

The trial of 55 participants in the Armenian-Dagestani brawl was heard in Sochi on May 26, but solely the Armenians were found guilty and they were sentenced to five days in prison.