Investigators' version of desecrating memorial in Nevinnomyssk called into question

The actions of the Dagestani natives who desecrated the Eternal Flame in Nevinnomyssk were assessed by investigators as rehabilitation of Nazism, although they should have been qualified under a more lenient article of vandalism or hooliganism.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that, on November 11, it became known that four residents of Dagestan had been detained for desecrating the "Eternal Glory" memorial in Nevinnomyssk. Law enforcers then spread a video of their apologies. Investigators reported that all the four were arrested under a criminal case on Nazism rehabilitation committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (which provides for up to five years of freedom deprivation).

The CCTV cameras have recorded that the young men put their feet in the fire, pushed each other and threw something into the flames. The detainees themselves – Magomed Imiev, Arslanbek Aliev, Gusen Aliev and Shamil Magomedov – explained in their public apologies that they "had decided to warm up."

According to Alexander Verkhovsky, the head of the SOVA Research Centre*, and Timur Filippov, an advocate, the investigators had incorrectly qualified the young guys' actions. Mr Verkhovsky has pointed out that such acts, as a rule, have no ideological motivation and are simple petty hooliganism.

Mr Filippov sticks to a similar opinion. "Their actions can be qualified as vandalism or even petty hooliganism. In any case, the applied article is clearly excessive," he said, treating the reason for such actions as insufficient respect for places of perpetuation of military glory. "Under Putin, the state uses the Victory Day to strengthen its own legitimacy and promote a certain political agenda, limiting any alternative views on history. The Victory Day is built into the state ideology to strengthen the patriotic rhetoric and use the Victory symbols for state purposes. And it is these actions that irritate the population ... This is probably where the disrespect for places of military glory and war memorials comes from," he has stated.

At the same time, according to the advocate, there is a growing trend of such extremism cases; however, in his opinion, it is generally associated with the tightening of persecution forms against those who show disrespect for the state.

*On August 17, 2023, the First Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction approved the decision taken earlier in April by the Moscow City Court to liquidate the SOVA Human Rights Centre.