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BBC team under attack in southern Russia BBC team under attack in southern Russia
(about 3 hours later)
A BBC team has been attacked in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan.A BBC team has been attacked in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan.
We had gone to investigate reports of Russian servicemen being killed near the border with Ukraine. They had gone to investigate reports of Russian servicemen being killed near the border with Ukraine.
As we left a cafe and approached our car, we were confronted and attacked by at least three aggressive individuals. The team's cameraman was beaten up and the camera smashed during the attack. The recorded material left in the car had been deleted, the team found after returning from the police station.
Using physical violence the men grabbed our camera, smashed it on the road, and then escaped with it in a getaway car. During the scuffle the BBC cameraman was knocked to the ground and beaten. Astrakhan authorities have launched an investigation, Russia's Interfax news agency reports.
The team had just left a cafe in the town when at least three aggressive individuals approached our car, confronting and attacking us, says BBC Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg.
Using physical violence the men grabbed the camera, smashed it on the road, and then escaped with it in a getaway car.
During the scuffle the BBC cameraman was knocked to the ground and beaten.
The team is now safe and back in Moscow.The team is now safe and back in Moscow.
Following the attack, we spent more than four hours being questioned in a local police station. Following the attack, the team spent more than four hours being questioned at a local police station.
We discovered later that while we were there, back in the car some of our recording equipment had been tampered with. During that time, the recording equipment left behind in the car was tampered with, our correspondent says.
The hard drive of the main computer as well as several memory cards with video material had been wiped clean.The hard drive of the main computer as well as several memory cards with video material had been wiped clean.
Interfax quoted the head of the Astrakhan Region interior ministry's press office Petr Rusanov as saying "a criminal case" had been launched after police had received a report of an attack on a cameraman who had been "beaten and robbed by unidentified persons".