Residents of Bashkortostan have been sentenced to compulsory labour for urinating on a Second World War memorial.

Two residents of Neftekamsk, a city in the Republic of Bashkortostan, have been sentenced to compulsory labour for urinating on an armoured personnel carrier. This was reported by the united republican press service of the courts.

The incident took place in September 2024 at the Great Patriotic War memorial alley. According to the court, the men, who were drunk, “wished to publicly insult the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland and desecrate Russian symbols of military glory.” The armoured personnel carrier they urinated on is part of a memorial to the defenders of the Fatherland.

At the trial, the accused fully admitted their guilt and expressed remorse for their actions.

The Supreme Court of Bashkortostan found them guilty of the rehabilitation of Nazism committed by a group (part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced them to two years’ imprisonment. However, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 53.1 of the Criminal Code, the court decided to replace the prison term with two years of compulsory labour. The court ordered that 15% of their earnings be withheld by the state.

The court also banned the defendants from organising “patriotic events” for three years, including those related to the “education of minors” in schools and children’s institutions.

15:08 As clarified by Idel.Realii, the defendants may be Amir Amirov and Almaz Mukhamatdinov, both aged 21. The sentence was pronounced on 5 June.