Russian Court Jails 2 Men for Vandalizing Memorial to Fallen Soldiers in Ukraine – The Moscow Times

A Moscow court on Monday sentenced two men to prison for vandalizing a makeshift memorial dedicated to Wagner mercenaries and Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

The Tverskoy District Court convicted Daniil Golikov and Andrei Kozlovsky of vandalism and “destruction” after they were caught on camera kicking over three vases at the street memorial near Red Square.

Golikov received a two-and-a-half-year sentence, while Kozlovsky was sentenced to three years in an open prison, a facility with less severe conditions than a standard penal colony. Both men said in court that they were drunk at the time of the incident.

The memorial, located on Varvarka Street, features flowers, candles, photos of fighters and Russian flags. It was initially set up last year in memory of pro-Kremlin military blogger Maxim Fomin, also known as Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed in a cafe bombing in St. Petersburg.

Over time, it has become a broader commemorative site, including tributes to Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin — killed in a plane crash in August 2023 — and other fighters who died in Ukraine.

Court footage showed the two young men standing silently as their sentences were read. Mediazona identified Golikov, 28, as a graduate of Moscow’s Higher School of Economics and Kozlovsky, 26, as an alumnus of the Diplomatic Academy under Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

Security footage presented in court captured the pair, visibly intoxicated, kicking over vases of flowers at the memorial on the night of March 10. The prosecution estimated the damage at 55,732 rubles ($556).

The defendants apologized in court and claimed to have paid for the damages, their lawyers said.