The Investigative Committee in the Murmansk region opened a criminal case on the rehabilitation of Nazism against businessman and blogger from Izhevsk Konstantin Petrov. This was reported by the main department of the Investigative Committee.
A case was opened against Petrov under the article on desecration of symbols of military glory and insulting the defenders of the Fatherland (Part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code). The reason for the criminal prosecution was a blogger’s video on social networks — in it, as the Investigative Committee writes, the man “called for stopping erecting monuments to veterans and insulted the heroes of the Great Patriotic War.”
Petrov is the owner of the Business Coffee to Go company, which sells “self-service coffee shops.” At the end of April, Murmansk telegram channels and public pages began distributing a video in which a businessman talks about his impressions after a tour of Murmansk.
“I wonder when we will stop showing burial sites and battle sites on city tours? <…> How many fucking years must pass after the Second World War for people who have never seen this war to fucking stop talking about it? Let's talk about something positive already, fuck? Here is a temple, here is a public garden, damn it, everything is in honor of these fucking superman warriors. Let's talk about business, about economic growth. Let’s erect monuments to those who came up with some franchises,” Petrov reasoned, among other things.
Murmansk Governor Andrey Chibis commented on the businessman’s statements. He called Petrov “a would-be blogger who disgraces his country and his people,” and said that he “has no place” in the region.
When Petrov hitched a ride from Teriberka to the Murmansk airport, local residents demanded “on behalf of the entire Murmansk region” to get him out of the car. The driver agreed. In addition, the Murmansk telegram channel reported that the businessman’s passport was torn. Petrov himself later said that nothing was done with his documents, and he ended up hitchhiking from Teriberka in two cars.
After publications with criticism, Petrov posted a new video on Instagram on the topic of what happened. In it, he said that he “wanted to send a message that in the gray everyday life we have a lot of reasons for grief and compassion,” and it is better to “pay attention to some positive festive moments.”
The head of the Safe Internet League, Ekaterina Mizulina, also responded to Petrov’s statements. “Why are such inhumans still at large? I believe that on the eve of our great holiday, Victory Day, law enforcement agencies should pay special attention to it,” said her Telegram channel.
Later in his story, the blogger said that he received a call from the Investigative Committee and the police and asked him to come to the department. Later, he published a photo from the department, which department is unclear. According to the Region.51 telegram channel, he gave explanations to the Investigative Committee.
After this, Murmansk media published a video in which a businessman with his hands folded behind his back apologizes to residents of the region. It is alleged that it was recorded near the police station.
In another video, Petrov stands in front of a detention cell and apologizes to “veterans of the Great Patriotic War and current special military operations.” Mizulina published the same video, thanking “law enforcement officers of the Murmansk region for their efficiency.”