The head of Russia\u2019s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has ordered a criminal case opened after a child poured water on an eternal flame memorial, the agency\u2019s press service said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The statement said the incident should be investigated as an \u201cact of desecration of a symbol of military glory.\u201d That offense is outlined in Article<\/a> 354.1 of the Russian Criminal Code on the \u201crehabilitation of Nazism.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the regional office of the Interior Ministry, the flame was extinguished by a child born in 2017. \u201cJuvenile affairs officers held a preventive conversation with the child and his legal guardians and identified the reasons for his actions,\u201d the ministry said in a statement. It did not disclose why the child poured water on the flame. The case materials have been forwarded to the local juvenile commission.<\/p>\n The incident took place in the village of Semibratovo, in the Yaroslavl region, on June 12 \u2014 Russia Day. A video of the episode circulated two days later on the Telegram channel 112, which is linked to Russian security services. The footage shows a child approaching a World War II memorial on a bicycle and pouring a water bottle onto the eternal flame. After the flame goes out, he pours more water on it, sets the bottle down, and rides away.<\/p>\n In recent years, there have been several incidents across Russia involving the extinguishing of eternal flame memorials. Authorities have responded by opening criminal<\/a> cases<\/a> under articles related to \u201cvandalism\u201d and the \u201crehabilitation of Nazism.\u201d<\/p>\n