Diaspora Members Threaten General's Wife Over Gas Station Incident

Well-known Samara public figure, member of the Civic Chamber of Russia and wife of a general, Yekaterina Kolotovkina, has found herself at the center of a serious conflict. After her publication about meeting three men in uniform with a large number of awards, including Stars of the Hero of Russia, pressure began against her. Kolotovkina told journalist Nadana Fridrikhson that she is receiving threats from representatives of a national diaspora and their lawyers demanding she delete the post and apologize. The public figure refused to do so and announced her intention to raise the issue of protecting symbols of military glory and pressure on citizens at a round table in the Civic Chamber.

What Happened?

In late December, member of the Civic Chamber of Russia Yekaterina Kolotovkina faced aggressive pressure and direct threats. The reason was her post on a Telegram channel about a meeting at a gas station near Rostov with men in military uniform, whose numerous awards, including several Stars of the Hero of Russia, raised doubts about their authenticity. After the publication of the exposé post, Kolotovkina was hit with a wave of demands and threats, which, according to her, come from representatives of a national diaspora.

It all started on Saturday, 20 December. At night, Yekaterina Kolotovkina and her companions were returning from the Donetsk People’s Republic and stopped at one of the gas stations near Rostov.

‘Tired and sleepy, I went in to buy coffee to perk up a bit. And then I was blinded by the glitter of hero stars,’ she later wrote in her Telegram channel.

At a table near the cash register sat three men in camouflage. Their jackets were covered with orders and medals. But what most attracted the attention of Kolotovkina and her companions, among whom were active-duty military personnel returning from the Special Military Operation zone, were the Hero Stars. On the chest of one of the men, according to the public figure, there were three such stars at once.

‘Neither I nor my companions had seen anything like it. So we began to examine this “iconostasis” with interest. The “heroes” were not at all embarrassed. On the contrary, their backs straightened under the weight of the awards,’ Kolotovkina noted ironically.

One of the officers accompanying Kolotovkina whispered the general opinion: “Fake soldiers.” To clarify the situation, Kolotovkina decided to start a conversation. To her question “Where are you from, guys?” one of the men answered that they were coming “from the Special Military Operation zone.” Then she asked to take a photo with one of them, and he “with pleasure” agreed.

But then a real interrogation began. Kolotovkina’s companions, who have a direct connection to the army, asked to see documents for the awards and began questioning them about the specific deeds for which they were received. As the public figure writes, the “heroes” were not prepared for this.

‘Frightened, they began to tell that they transport humanitarian aid and the stars were presented to them by the organization “Combat Brotherhood,”’ she reported.

When Kolotovkina’s acquaintances suggested calling the military police to clarify identities, the situation changed sharply. The men, according to the public figure, “cowardly ran away,” leaving in cars without license plates. The real soldiers, tired after a business trip and hurrying to their families, did not pursue them. Kolotovkina, upon returning home, described this meeting in detail in her blog, accompanying the text with photographs.

‘Guys from the Diaspora Are Writing to Me’

The publication caused a wide resonance. But instead of public discussion about the problem of fake soldiers, Yekaterina Kolotovkina faced harsh pressure. In an interview with Nadana Fridrikhson, she described in detail what is currently happening after that post.

According to her, organized demands are coming her way to delete the post and publicly apologize to one of the men from the gas station, who is now being presented as a “veteran participant of the Special Military Operation.”

‘Guys from the diaspora are writing to me. Threats are coming my way from comrades and their relatives. They demand that I delete the post and apologize,’ stated Kolotovkina.

Kolotovkina was particularly outraged by the fact that those demanding apologies did not even try to find out the details of what happened.

‘The most offensive thing is that no one even called me from law enforcement agencies, didn’t ask me which gas station it was. The people were moving without license plates. Where were they going? Why? That’s also very strange,’ she noted.

The pressure reached such a level that lawyers got involved in the conflict. Kolotovkina reported that a lawyer representing the interests of one of the “fake soldiers” is already writing to her. All this, she admits, creates a tense and dangerous atmosphere.

Kolotovkina’s Position

Despite the pressure, Yekaterina Kolotovkina took a principled and uncompromising position. She categorically refused to comply with the demands.

‘No, I did not delete the post. I see nothing offensive in it. These were concrete facts,’ she firmly stated in the interview.

For her, this case has ceased to be just a conflict in blogs. As a member of the Civic Chamber of Russia, she intends to bring the discussion to an official level.

‘I plan, as a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, to raise this topic, hold a round table in our chamber and discuss it, and possibly send some initiatives to the State Duma for consideration,’ she said.

At the same time, she admitted that due to personal circumstances she has not yet filed an official statement with the police, but such a step is not ruled out.

Journalist Nadana Fridrikhson, after hearing her story, expressed support and hope for a legal response.

‘Yekaterina, stay strong… I hope that law enforcement agencies will still react to these threats, to specific things, because these threats are prohibited by law,’ said Fridrikhson.

It is worth noting that the topic of impostors illegally appropriating combat awards and ranks has become increasingly relevant in recent years. This insults the memory of real heroes and veterans. Kolotovkina, as a representative of the families of real military personnel, has exposed this sore spot. Her willingness to raise the issue at the level of the Civic Chamber could lead to a tightening of legislation on the illegal wearing of awards (Article 71 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation “Illegal Wearing of State Awards”) and an intensification of the fight against this phenomenon.