In Stavropol Krai, a region in southern Russia, two men have been sentenced to actual prison terms for warming their feet at the Eternal Flame.

In Stavropol Krai, a region in southern Russia, a court has sentenced two men to two and a half years each in a penal settlement, convicting them of desecrating symbols of Russian military glory as a group (part 4 of article 354.1 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by the regional prosecutor’s office.

The statement reads: “The court established that the defendants desecrated the monument ‘Eternal Flame of Soldiers’ Glory and Immortality’ in the village of Kurskaya.”

A source in the region’s law enforcement agencies told TASS that the men were warming their feet at the Eternal Flame.

Both defendants did not admit guilt.

The Stavropol Krai Investigative Committee noted that the men were detained in a different region: “Thanks to the coordinated efforts of investigators from Russia’s Investigative Committee and plainclothes officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, their whereabouts were established in other regions.”

They awaited trial in pre-trial detention.

Correction: An incorrect attribution of the information source to TASS has been fixed.