The name Erika Kituashvili is popular among video bloggers and lovers of expensive cars. He is called the king of the Russian Internet, and the video blogger himself considers himself one of those who made the Russian Internet. People also know about Davidovich (he calls himself that) in connection with the criminal case. After his release, the author of the automobile channel continued to create videos for subscribers, slightly changing their concept: Eric today conducts test drives not in the capital, but in the regions of Russia.
Childhood and youth
Eric Davidovich, Georgian by nationality, was born in Moscow (according to another version - in Tbilisi). Parents David Vakhtangovich and Alla Viktorovna worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on Petrovka, 38. Their childhood was prosperous. The blogger has a sister who now lives with her mother.
Eric Davidovich and Anton VorotnikovAn incident in Samara was associated with the motor rally from Moscow to Yekaterinburg in 2010. There was a conflict with the administrator here. A noisy group of men insulted a woman who did not recognize the Moscow celebrity and took too long to fill out paperwork at the reception. There was supposedly an apology, but no confirmation could be found, and the administrator resigned from the hotel. This incriminating evidence, however, did not ruin Eric’s life.
The emergence of his own resource and its development gave a new impetus to his career: they learned about Davidovich far beyond his circle. Now the blogger rarely appears under his real last name, but uses only his middle name. And information about the latest models and test drives expanded his circle of acquaintances. So among them appeared Alexander Khrustalev, a man who managed to turn a medium-sized construction company into a thriving holding company and was passionate about helicopters.
There is more than one scandalous story associated with the name of Eric Davidovich. Videos, live broadcasts, films and reviews posted by the video blogger have attracted a lot of public attention due to the revealing meaning of the stories. Discussions online and the popularity of the videos even led to a number of checks and sanctions among traffic police officers, with the subsequent removal of some of the actors from service.
Who is Davidich
Davidovich comes from the capital of Russia. His parents served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the city where he was born, and could provide their offspring with a prosperous childhood.
During Eric's service in the army, his father resigned from his post, despite good career growth, and opened his own business. The business was aimed at servicing luxury cars.
The son, who returned from the army, easily joined the family business. It so happened that he quickly made the necessary contacts and was able to fulfill his childhood dream. It was this feature that made him famous on the road - the golden BMW X5. He was repeatedly seen using this car on the streets of the capital.
In the wake of the craze for expensive cars, Davidovich joined the Internet project in 2008. During this period, he came up with the idea of starting his own resource to demonstrate and implement creative ideas. An ambitious young man decided to create the website Smotra.ru (smotra.ru). The name was given in honor of the observation deck on Vorobyovy Gory - a gathering place for lovers of speed and beautiful cars.
The goal was to unite high-class car owners into a single community.
Blogging activities
In a short period of time, the site gained great popularity. Visitors were happy to share their opinions and experiences, create blogs, and read expert advice. All information was aimed at expensive cars, their advantages, care, etc.
Soon a YouTube channel appeared, which also enjoyed great success. A lot of test drives, service features, reviews were presented here, videos shot by the owner were broadcast, daring and interesting. Provocative clips began to appear concerning traffic police officers, how many offenses were now occurring on their part, which led to proceedings in the relevant structures.
During the first year, about 300 traffic police officers were caught on camera. Reviews about the video were very different: some considered it impudence and outright provocation, others considered it a fight against corruption. Some users began to imitate the way the channel author communicates with traffic police officers (“davidykat”), considering such behavior to be the norm.
Vigorous activity and excellent knowledge of expensive cars made Eric a leader among Moscow street racers.
The development of the site allowed Kituashvili to become famous far beyond his circle of acquaintances:
- The scandalous Moscow-Ekaterinburg motor rally was organized in 2010.
- There is information that the blogger and his company insulted the administrator of one of the hotels, who did not recognize the YouTube star and took too long to complete the paperwork. It was later reported that the troublemakers made a public apology, but no confirmation of this fact was found.
Another hobby of Davidovich was helicopters. Many videos on his channel demonstrate flights and the features of controlling aircraft.
Wikipedia says that Eric Kituashvili was invited to the Rossiya 1 TV channel to host a series of programs about cars. He also makes entertaining shows for other interested channels. This turn of events significantly increased the popularity of the autoblogger.
Assistance to Law Enforcement Agencies
Another remarkable fact from Davidovich’s biography is his participation in neutralizing the GTA criminal group, named after the popular computer game. The bandits acted according to its plot, carrying out tasks. There are 17 people injured at the hands of bandits on the M4 Don highway.
Devices were installed in the path of vehicles that damaged the wheels - the driver was forced to stop for repairs. Under the pretext of helping, the bandits attacked the victims or, passing by in a car, shot the passengers and driver.
A team of street racers led by Kituashvili went hunting for criminals. Their actions were provocative and rude. They searched cars that matched the identification, and did it very unceremoniously. People's opinions about the group's actions are divided: it is not very pleasant when armed people, even for good purposes, drive along the highway and inspect cars without permission.
After the intervention of a company of volunteers, the attacks by the criminal group stopped, and the bandits lay low. The liquidation of the gang leader occurred on November 6, 2014, with the participation of a special forces detachment. He offered armed resistance and was shot. Eric Kituashvili was awarded a certificate of gratitude for his active assistance.
When considering this case, law enforcement agencies came to the conclusion that the bandits were trying to sow panic among the residents of Russia and were preparing to carry out a number of terrorist acts. The group consisted of 10 people. All of them were immigrants from Middle Asia, whose nationality was not specified and were suspected of having connections with ISIS, banned in Russia.
Criminal case
In 2016, a black spot appeared in the biography of Eric Kituashvili. He was accused of fraud with insurance companies - this was followed by an arrest and stay in a pre-trial detention center.
Erik Kituashvili, according to law enforcement agencies, is part of an organized group of criminals staged the theft of several expensive cars:
- Lexus LS430.
- Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG.
- BMW M5.
- BMW 745i.
By submitting false documents to the insurance company, the fraudsters received compensation payments for damage. The case materials contain information that the declared cars were transported to Ingushetia for sale with the help of third parties. Also in the case was Kituashvili’s common-law wife, Anna Kuganskaya, to whom some of the cars were registered.
The prosecutor's office insisted on 7 years of imprisonment under the article "Insurance fraud committed by an organized group." The blogger was defended by the famous lawyer Sergei Zhorin, who insisted on his innocence.
Blogger Kituashvili did not admit his guilt and stated that the case was fabricated after revealing videos about the security forces, but could not provide evidence.
The court's decision
In the courtroom at the sentencing hearing, such famous personalities as Alan Enileev, Alexey Malobrodsky, who came to support Kituashvili, were seen. The announcement of the court decision took six hours with a break of 30 minutes. The blogger's supporters watched the trial via online broadcast outside the court, from their phone and laptop screens. The punishment was reduced to 4 years and 8 months in prison for fraud and money laundering.
By the time the hearing was completed, Davidovich had been in pre-trial detention for 30 months. During this time, he regularly posted his photos and videos on social networks, Periscope, etc.
According to the law, a month in an isolation ward is equal to 1.5 in a colony. At that time, Eric remained in prison until December 2018. The defenders managed to prove the blogger’s non-involvement in one of the crimes, since at that time he was in Singapore, and on November 1 the statute of limitations for another incident expired. In this regard, it was planned to file an appeal of the decision, according to which the defendant should be released from serving his sentence and released from the courtroom.
Anna Koganskaya was arrested in March 2016 - she was given 3 years and 2 months in prison. The accused spent all this time under house arrest and has already been released.
Kituashvili’s lawyer said that his client was also accused of an attempt on the life of the President of Ingushetia, which occurred on June 22, 2009. According to the defense lawyer, this was only a pretext to detain the suspect.
Interestingly, in 2006, the European Court of Human Rights found his arguments about illegal detention convincing and even ruled on compensation for moral damages. There was also a rumor among fans that Davidovich managed to escape from prison, although the information was not confirmed.
In appearance, Eric Kituashvili appears to be a decent person and a law-abiding Christian. However, a lot of scandalous incidents and defiant behavior do not characterize him from the best side.
Despite his defiant behavior, Eric Kituashvili committed a number of noble deeds. He regularly provides assistance to organizations such as orphanages, homes for disabled children, etc.
Last updated: 12/07/2018
Eric Kituashvili, a popular automobile blogger and founder of the Smotra.ru community, known by his nickname Davidich, was released. On October 19, 2018, the Dorogomilovsky Court of Moscow found him guilty of fraud and money laundering and sentenced him to 4 years and 8 months in prison. On Thursday, December 6, the appellate instance of the Moscow City Court commuted the sentence, excluding two counts, and released the blogger from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations - he had been in custody since February 2016.
Eric Kituashvili. Photo: City News Agency "Moscow" / Kardashov Anton
What was he accused of?
The investigation and the court established that in 2008, Kituashvili, acting as part of an organized criminal group, staged the theft of expensive Lexus LS430, Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG, BMW M5 and BMW 745i cars. Subsequently, the defendants contacted insurance companies and received insurance payments, and the foreign cars themselves, with the help of transporters, were sent to Ingushetia for sale. Some cars were registered to Kituashvili’s common-law wife - Anna Kaganskaya, who also became one of the defendants.
Kituashvili did not admit his guilt; according to him, the case against him was fabricated because of his incriminating films about corruption in the traffic police.
What is Kutuashvili famous for?
Eric Kituashvili was born on July 8, 1981. His parents worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Until 1988 he studied at Moscow school No. 265, after which he served in the army. At this time, Kutuashvili’s father left the service and started a business related to the repair and maintenance of luxury cars.
Returning from the army, Kutuashvili began helping his father and began selling, repairing and tuning expensive foreign cars himself. He quickly made acquaintances among the owners of elite cars and street racers in Moscow, and began to participate in races that were organized on Vorobyovy Gory.
In 2009, Kutuashvili opened the “Observation” website, which took its name from the Observation Deck on Sparrow Hills. This is a kind of social network for lovers of expensive cars, where news about the world of cars, information about test drives, and advice from repair specialists are also published. There are currently 233 thousand registered users on the site.
In December 2009, Kutuashvili, who took the nickname Davidich, created a YouTube channel, which quickly grew. At the moment, 2 million 688 thousand subscribers have subscribed to it, the videos on the channel have been viewed 541 million times. With the advent of the channel, the auto expert began recording not only auto reviews, but also videos about the work of traffic police officers violating their duty of duty. They brought him special fame on the Internet.
Such a vigorous activity of the blogger did not go unnoticed; he became not only the leader of Moscow night street racers, but also the idol of young people. Davidich became recognizable on the streets of the capital thanks to the gold BMW X5 - his main pride and dream. The auto expert began to be invited to television; he hosted programs about cars on several channels.
Since 2010, Kutuashvili began organizing car rallies around the country. During one of them in July 2010, an incident occurred that was actively discussed in the media and social networks. Participants in the rally, among whom was Davidich, caused a scandal at a hotel in Samara due to the long check-in procedure. As a result, the administrator checked in the guests, but in the morning she called the police, who still could not stop the participants in the rally.
In 2014, Davidich and his street racing friends helped the police catch the so-called “GTA gang,” which stopped cars and killed drivers on the Don highway. Kutuashvili was awarded a certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for his action.
In December 2015, the blogger posted two films on the Internet about alleged corruption in the Moscow traffic police. According to Davidich, bribes were given, including by some heads of departments of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moscow, for promotions. As part of the criminal trial, Kutuashvili, among other things, was accused of libel.
Ecuadorian authorities have denied Julian Assange asylum at the London embassy. The founder of WikiLeaks was detained by British police, and this has already been called the biggest betrayal in the history of Ecuador. Why are they taking revenge on Assange and what awaits him?
Australian programmer and journalist Julian Assange became widely known after the website WikiLeaks, which he founded, published secret documents from the US State Department in 2010, as well as materials related to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But it was quite difficult to find out who the police were leading out of the building, supporting him by the arms. Assange had grown a beard and looked nothing like the energetic man he had previously appeared in photographs.
According to Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, Assange was denied asylum due to his repeated violations of international conventions.
He is expected to remain in custody at a central London police station until he appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Why is the President of Ecuador accused of treason?
Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa called the current government's decision the biggest betrayal in the country's history. “What he (Moreno - editor’s note) did is a crime that humanity will never forget,” Correa said.
London, on the contrary, thanked Moreno. The British Foreign Office believes that justice has triumphed. The representative of the Russian diplomatic department, Maria Zakharova, has a different opinion. “The hand of “democracy” is squeezing the throat of freedom,” she noted. The Kremlin expressed hope that the rights of the arrested person will be respected.
Ecuador sheltered Assange because the former president had left-of-center views, criticized U.S. policies and welcomed WikiLeaks' release of secret documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even before the Internet activist needed asylum, he managed to personally meet Correa: he interviewed him for the Russia Today channel.
However, in 2017, the government in Ecuador changed, and the country set a course towards rapprochement with the United States. The new president called Assange “a stone in his shoe” and immediately made it clear that his stay on the embassy premises would not be prolonged.
According to Correa, the moment of truth came at the end of June last year, when US Vice President Michael Pence arrived in Ecuador for a visit. Then everything was decided. “You have no doubt: Lenin is simply a hypocrite. He has already agreed with the Americans on the fate of Assange. And now he is trying to make us swallow the pill, saying that Ecuador is supposedly continuing the dialogue,” Correa said in an interview with the Russia Today channel.
How Assange made new enemies
The day before his arrest, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristin Hrafnsson said that Assange was under total surveillance. “WikiLeaks uncovered a large-scale spy operation against Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy,” he noted. According to him, cameras and voice recorders were placed around Assange, and the information received was transferred to the Donald Trump administration.
Hrafnsson clarified that Assange was going to be expelled from the embassy a week earlier. This did not happen only because WikiLeaks released this information. A high-ranking source told the portal about the plans of the Ecuadorian authorities, but the head of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, Jose Valencia, denied the rumors.
Assange's expulsion was preceded by the corruption scandal surrounding Moreno. In February, WikiLeaks published a package of INA Papers, which traced the operations of the offshore company INA Investment, founded by the brother of the Ecuadorian leader. Quito said it was a conspiracy between Assange and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and former Ecuadorian leader Rafael Correa to overthrow Moreno.
In early April, Moreno complained about Assange's behavior at Ecuador's London mission. “We must protect the life of Mr. Assange, but he has already crossed all boundaries in terms of violating the agreement that we came to with him,” the president said. “This does not mean that he cannot speak freely, but he cannot lie and hack.” ". At the same time, back in February last year it became known that Assange at the embassy was deprived of the opportunity to interact with the outside world, in particular, his Internet access was cut off.
Why Sweden stopped its prosecution of Assange
At the end of last year, Western media, citing sources, reported that Assange would be charged in the United States. This was never officially confirmed, but it was because of Washington’s position that Assange had to take refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy six years ago.
In May 2017, Sweden stopped investigating two rape cases in which the portal’s founder was accused. Assange demanded compensation from the country's government for legal costs in the amount of 900 thousand euros.
Earlier, in 2015, Swedish prosecutors also dropped three charges against him due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Where did the investigation into the rape case lead?
Assange arrived in Sweden in the summer of 2010, hoping to receive protection from American authorities. But he was investigated for rape. In November 2010, a warrant was issued for his arrest in Stockholm, and Assange was put on the international wanted list. He was detained in London, but was soon released on bail of 240 thousand pounds.
In February 2011, a British court decided to extradite Assange to Sweden, after which a number of successful appeals followed for the WikiLeaks founder.
British authorities placed him under house arrest before deciding whether to extradite him to Sweden. Breaking his promise to the authorities, Assange asked for asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy, which was granted to him. Since then, the UK has had its own claims against the WikiLeaks founder.
What awaits Assange now?
The man was re-arrested on a US extradition request for publishing classified documents, police said. At the same time, Deputy Head of the British Foreign Ministry Alan Duncan said that Assange would not be sent to the United States if he faced the death penalty there.
In the UK, Assange is likely to appear in court on the afternoon of April 11. This is stated on the WikiLeaks Twitter page. British authorities are likely to seek a maximum sentence of 12 months, the man's mother said, citing his lawyer.
At the same time, Swedish prosecutors are considering reopening the rape investigation. Attorney Elizabeth Massey Fritz, who represented the victim, will seek this.
20.10.2018
Eric Davidovich
Kituashvili Eric Davidovich
TV presenter
Eric Davidovich was born on July 8, 1981 in Moscow. The boy did not grow up in the most ordinary family. Parents, David Vakhtangovich and Alla Viktorovna, worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. My childhood was prosperous. There is a sister who now lives with her mother. He studied at school No. 265 until 1998. Served in the army. At this time, my father left the service and went into business related to cars: repair and maintenance of luxury cars.
Returning from service, Eric also plunged into the automotive world, and ordinary cars, especially domestic ones, never interested him. The guy was engaged in the sale, repair, and tuning of cars. He quickly made acquaintances among owners of expensive cars. His main pride, dream, “trick”: the golden BMW X5, known to everyone who knows about Eric Davidich. In it, he and rapper Noggano stood in a Moscow traffic jam, he is often visible in the video.
In 2008, with a friend, I participated in an Internet project for motorists, but I wanted my own resource, with my own ideas and readers. This is how the Review website was opened. It got its name from the Observation Deck on Sparrow Hills, where speed and car lovers gathered. The goal of the project is to unite lovers of expensive cars.
Work was in full swing. News about the world of cars was filmed, information was provided from repair specialists, a forum and blogs appeared for those who owned expensive foreign cars and were ready to communicate with the same owners on their territory. At first these were simple videos on the phone, some scenes from personal life, high-speed races of street racers. The first 15 - 20 thousand readers of the site appeared. Then they only became more numerous.
Later, a YouTube channel appeared, which quickly became popular. High-quality videos, interesting topics, scandals and provocations on the roads. Eric has proven himself to be a professional businessman who has succeeded online.
Since 2010, he began organizing car rallies around the country, along with visits to orphanages with gifts and help. All this was posted on the channel. So Eric’s activities became charitable and gained a lot of fans. At the beginning of April 2010, the first author's program Smotra Life was filmed. Later there were others, for example, a scandalous one, where Anton Vorotnikov was Eric’s opponent.
The emergence of his own resource and its development gave a new impetus to his career: they learned about Davidovich far beyond his circle. And information about the latest models and test drives significantly expanded his circle of acquaintances. So among them appeared Alexander Khrustalev, a man who managed to turn a medium-sized construction company into a thriving holding company and was passionate about helicopters.
Helicopters, like his cars, became a passion. The blogger promoted them both on the website and on the video channel, saying how convenient it is to rent instead of a limousine, for example, for a wedding.
Such vigorous activity could not go unnoticed: Kituashvili was invited to appear on TV. He broadcasts about cars on Rossiya 1 and makes programs for other channels.
Another story had a serious impact on my career. In 2014, a gang of killers appeared on the M4 Don highway, stopping cars. 17 people died before the bandits were stopped. Eric's street racing community also took part in their arrest.
With the advent of the channel, videos about the work of traffic police officers appeared on YouTube. And again, a huge number of spectators were divided in two: some believed that a noble man was fighting a completely corrupt service. Others perceived this as a provocation and rudeness by Davidovich. There are arguments on both sides.
All-Russian fame divided car enthusiasts into two camps. Some consider Eric Davidovich to be a man who boldly stood up for justice on the roads, revealing the negative aspects of the world order in a service that should be crystal honest and incorruptible. That is why he is now suffering for the truth, having received three articles for which he could be imprisoned for 10 years. Others, having watched videos with his participation, are convinced that everything he does is very much reminiscent of the PR of a person who considers himself to be the masters of life, who have neither boundaries nor prohibitions, but money and power come first.
In 2016, the blogger’s biography changed dramatically. Davidovich was arrested for auto insurance fraud. The period of stay was extended several times. In September 2017, in the Dorogomilovsky District Court, he pleaded not guilty to fraud.
In April 2018, it became known that the European Court of Human Rights declared Eric’s detention illegal, however, on July 19, 2018, the court decided that he would not be released until at least August 28. Subsequently, the detention was extended, the next meeting was held on October 1.
During the debate between the parties in court, the state prosecutor demanded for Kituashvili a sentence of seven years in prison in a general regime colony, and for his common-law wife Anna Kaganskaya, 3.2 years. As a result, on October 19, 2018, Davidich was found guilty of insurance fraud and sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in a general regime colony. His lawyers are planning to appeal.
Officially not married. Common-law wife Anna Kaganskaya.
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