April 07, 2025

They Draw Swastikas, Set Fires, and Break Crosses


They Draw Swastikas, Set Fires, and Break Crosses
Memorial to PMC Wagner leadership in Moscow.  PLATEL, Wikimedia Commons.

According to Sever.Realii, a project of Radio Liberty, desecrations of graves of soldiers killed in Russia’s War on Ukraine have sharply risen. While only three cases were documented in 2022, the number grew to 21 in 2023 and to 25 in 2024.

Vandalism targeting military monuments and graves began soon after the war started, with the first reported case occurring in Russian-occupied Crimea. Valeria Goldenberg, a 61-year-old pensioner originally from Poltava, poured blood and feces on the grave of mortar operator Valentin Isaychev, who was killed in Ukraine. Goldenberg said she acted out of "a sense of revenge and compassion for the people of Ukraine."

Incidents soon spread beyond Crimea, occurring in Russian regions including Tambov, Zabaikalsky Krai, Khabarovsk, Chelyabinsk, Vladivostok, Kaluga, Volgograd, Kuzbass, Chita, and Kaliningrad.

Sever.Realii reported that teenagers are often the perpetrators. For instance, in Volgograd, authorities detained an underage girl; in Promyshlennaya village in Kuzbass, three schoolchildren aged 10 and 11 were detained; and five teenagers from a local boarding school were arrested in Zabaikalsky Krai.

During these incidents, individuals commonly draw swastikas, damage photographs and flags, break crosses, and set monuments on fire.

Not all acts have political motivations. In Chita, a homeless man was arrested after setting fire to a soldier's grave to keep warm. In Kaluga, two teenagers created videos for TikTok, lying down and dancing near graves while displaying the Russian flag.

Sever.Realii notes that criminal investigations occurred in fewer than half of these cases, but prosecutions under the law on damaging military graves have increased. While no convictions were recorded in 2020, four individuals were convicted in 2021. The number rose to 11 in 2022, 12 in 2023, and four individuals in the first half of 2024.

Penalties under this law include fines, forced or compulsory labor, and imprisonment for up to five years.

You Might Also Like

Hell Behind Bars for a Teenager
  • February 16, 2025

Hell Behind Bars for a Teenager

A 14-year-old Russian girl accused of terrorism spent almost a year in a pretrial detention center, where she was beaten and subjected to sexual violence.
Full Immersion in the War
  • February 13, 2025

Full Immersion in the War

Russian schools now include VR exhibits that immerse kids in Russia's War on Ukraine.
Russians Unaffected by War
  • January 06, 2025

Russians Unaffected by War

Verstka uncovered a survey that showed Russians are both exhausted and accustomed to the war in Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955