April 13, 2023

Flagpole Ripper


Flagpole Ripper
Russian flag. Dickelbers, Wikimedia Commons.

A man was apprehended near Nizhny Novgorod after he removed the Russian flag from a police building, RIA Novosti reported.

Law enforcement officials of the Pavlovsky district said that, on April 3, an individual allegedly tore down the Russian flag from the police department on Zavyalova Street in Pavlovo. The ASTRA Telegram channel reported that the same individual supposedly threw the flag onto the road and proceeded to stomp on it while also hitting it with a bat. The perpetrator, identified by police, is a 35-year-old Vorsma resident who has a previous criminal record.

The main department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs disclosed that the man was arrested and taken into custody by police. Following a court ruling, the individual in question has been officially detained for violating Article 19.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (disobedience to the lawful order of a police officer). He was sentenced to four days of administrative arrest.

However, the man's actions have prompted supervisory authorities to consider further action under Article 329 (desecration of the state flag of the Russian Federation) which has a maximum penalty of a year in prison. The police have also considered paragraph B of the first part in Article 213 (hooliganism).

This arrest comes as Russians have been politically protesting in more and more creative ways.

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