Russian news agency TASS has reported that a journalist working for the BBC was drugged and robbed early Friday morning. It is believed two men are responsible for knocking him unconscious by dissolving an unconfirmed substance into his coffee. The journalist then awoke to find all his belongings had been stolen. The Russian interior has confirmed that two men have been detained in connection with the crime.
"As a result of the search operation, a suspect in the robbery of a British national has been detained," said Irina Volk, a member of the Russian Interior Ministry. "Yesterday, the British national reported to the police that he had been robbed in a taxi."
The Russian interior initially confirmed that a single suspect was being held back for questioning, but on Saturday a report out of Interfax presented a second person of interest in the case. Another journalist, one that writes for the Independent in Ireland claims to have been temporarily knocked out of action when petty thieves did away with his smart phone.
Russia's president Vladimir Putin has used the country's World Cup hosting duties as a potential smokescreen against writing new economic reforms. Before the tournament Putin had seen his popular support take a noticeable dive. Just yesterday Russia lost out to Croatia in penalties, ending their incredible run at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.