Russian tourist Sergei Mironov is facing trial in Egypt after being arrested at a Sharm el-Sheikh hotel for accidentally touching a woman during an evening dance.
The 61-year-old locksmith from Samara Oblast in Russia remains in custody as judicial proceedings continue in the Red Sea resort town, according to sources in the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Egypt cited by news agency RIA Novosti.
Diplomats said Mironov was detained at his hotel for violating rules of conduct observed in Islam. The Russian diplomatic mission stated that it is monitoring the case closely, remaining in contact with Mironov's family and Egyptian authorities. Embassy officials said judicial proceedings were ongoing and expressed hope that all charges against Mironov would be dismissed so he could return home safely.
Mironov arrived in Egypt on August 4 alongside his wife, Tatyana, for a holiday at the five-star Renaissance Sharm El Sheikh Golden View Beach Resort. During an evening animation program at the resort, organizers invited guests onto the dance floor, where the incident took place.
Tatyana said her husband stood up to dance and was smiling when he stepped backward slightly, tripped over a sun lounger where a Muslim woman was seated, and touched her briefly to keep his balance and prevent a fall. The woman's husband became enraged by the physical contact and launched a physical attack against Mironov.
Demands for Money and Arrest
Hotel staff intervened to separate the two men, after which Mironov and his wife retired to their hotel room. Police arrived at the room later that night and took Mironov into custody following a formal complaint filed by the woman's husband under charges of indecent acts toward a woman.
The complainant informed Mironov that he was willing to drop the matter in exchange for 10,000 US dollars, an amount equal to roughly 811,000 Russian rubles. Mironov did not possess that amount of money and refused to pay, maintaining that he had committed no wrongdoing.
Legal expert Igor Kositsyn remarked that while the exact sequence of events remained difficult to evaluate independently, it was unusual for a complainant to demand a financial payment of 10,000 dollars over an alleged insult to his wife's honor. Kositsyn stated that if someone genuinely felt offended, they should insist on a formal investigation rather than seeking a monetary settlement.
Previous Resort Arrest in Turkey
The case follows a similar incident involving Russian tourists at a Mediterranean resort in May, when tourist Viktor Trokhin was arrested in Turkey after a dispute with a local citizen named Volkan at the Corendon Hydros Club Kemer hotel.
Trokhin and his wife, Anna, were attending a hotel party when an argument broke out between Trokhin and Volkan. After exchanging verbal insults, both men returned to their respective rooms. The following day, Turkish police arrested Trokhin after Volkan filed a harassment complaint alleging that the argument stemmed from inappropriate attention.
Turkish authorities placed Trokhin in a pre-trial detention facility in Antalya for more than a month without reviewing the circumstances or interviewing eyewitnesses. A Turkish court ultimately acquitted Trokhin after hotel management and staff provided statements in defense of the Russian guest.
