In Volgograd, the Investigative Committee began an investigation because of a video by a blogger from Bashkortostan, Rasul Akhiyaretdinov, about the inconsistency of the monument “The Motherland Calls!” on Mamayev Kurgan to “traditional values.”
From the department’s press release, it is not entirely clear what exactly caused the investigators’ claims: “A resident of the Republic of Bashkortostan recorded a video that contains statements about insulting the feelings of believers. On this fact, the investigative authorities of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Volgograd region are conducting a pre-investigation check.”
Akhiyaretdinovposted a two-minute video against the backdrop of the sculpture on February 8. It was the first to draw attention to it edition «Aspects», created by the team of the former “Echo of Moscow in Ufa”; the blogger was a frequent guest on their broadcasts.
Akhiyaretdinov addressed President Vladimir Putin on camera and said: “After talking with the clergy — both Muslim and Orthodox, I realized that none of them were happy with the appearance of the monument < ;…> Vladimir Vladimirovich, our mother cannot look like that. We ask you to reconstruct [the monument] <…> [Residents of Volgograd] want to preserve this monument, but change this appearance, close its shameful places.”
In a conversation with V1.ru, Akhiyaretdinov clarified that he was embarrassed by the openly “protruding nipples”, suggested “putting a scarf on the shoulders or arms” of the sculpture and compared its appearance to the “naked party” of TV presenter Anastasia Ivleeva. Soon he deleted his page on VKontakte, his entry is now available only in re-uploads.
On February 9, a new video of a man appeared with an apology and a story about his grandfather, a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad. It was filmed already in Ufa, at the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky — across the road from the FSB building.
Then, on February 9, investigators announced the detention at the airport of blogger Alena Agafonova, who posted a video in her story in which she pretends to , which tickles the Motherland monument. The girl was sent to a pre-trial detention center on a criminal case of desecration of symbols of military glory (Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code).