In Rubtsovsk, a city in Siberia, a case has been opened for “rehabilitation of Nazism” after teenagers were drying their clothes by the Eternal Flame.

In Rubtsovsk, Altai Krai, a criminal case has been opened against a group of individuals for desecrating symbols of military glory (part 4, article 354.1 of the Criminal Code) after a video appeared showing three teenagers drying clothes by the Eternal Flame. The local Investigative Committee reported this.

The video was posted on 7 July in the Telegram channel “BLOGERSHA Rubtsovsk,” which has over 26,000 subscribers. According to the press release from the Investigative Committee, law enforcement has identified those involved and is interviewing the teenagers as well as their parents.

• Since 2022, at least 78 cases of “rehabilitation of Nazism” (article 354.1 of the Criminal Code) have been opened for various actions at the Eternal Flame. Teenagers are often among those prosecuted. For example, law enforcement officers have accused schoolgirls of “rehabilitation of Nazism” after they threw flowers at the Eternal Flame, as well as teenagers who drank beer and ate sunflower seeds by a memorial. In its report, OVD-Info explained how this article is applied.