Urals woman extinguishes Eternal Flame with wreath, authorities search for her
On the afternoon of January 21 in Serov, a woman extinguished the Eternal Flame at a local memorial. Footage shows her taking a mourning wreath, carrying it to the burner, and then disappearing. It is unknown whether she was trying to set fire to the commemorative flowers or extinguish the flame.
A woman uses a mourning wreath to extinguish the Eternal Flame at a memorial in Serov, Urals.
Currently, authorities are searching for the perpetrator. The Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR) has opened a criminal case for desecration of a symbol of military glory and insulting the memory of defenders of the Fatherland (Part 3, Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Police officers are interviewing residents of the neighborhood and reviewing surveillance camera footage.
«The situation is under the control of the leadership of the Sverdlovsk regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). If any citizens have information about who could have done this at a sacred site, please inform us via the 24-hour hotline of the regional GU MVD: 8(343)358-71-61,» said Valery Gorelykh, head of the press service of the GU MVD for Sverdlovsk Region.
The Serov prosecutor«s office is also conducting an inspection.
Updated:
In Serov, the woman who extinguished the Eternal Flame has been detained. She turned out to be a pensioner born in 1962. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case.
Earlier we wrote about how in Kamensk-Uralsky, schoolgirls roasted marshmallows on the Eternal Flame. The parents of the fifth-graders had to pay a hefty fine.
For similar behavior in St. Petersburg, two Yekaterinburg residents were detained — the young men poured alcohol on the Eternal Flame, this was also caught on video.
