Blogger and friend jailed over prank at Mamayev Kurgan

Sports blogger Svyatoslav Kovalenko and his acquaintance were detained over a video in which they threw a five-thousand-ruble note into the water at the Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd and called passersby to retrieve it, according to the Investigative Committee.

Consensus

Sviatoslav Kovalenko and his friend were arrested in connection with a video filmed at the Mamayev Kurgan monument in Volgograd.
The video showed Kovalenko throwing a 5,000-ruble banknote into a fountain near the 'Stand for Death' statue.
The men staged a scene where one pretended to be a passerby who jumped into the water to retrieve the money.
The video was published online and sparked public backlash.
The suspects were charged under Article 243.4, Part 2, Paragraphs 'a' and 'b' of the Russian Criminal Code for desecrating military memorials.
Both men were detained in different regions and brought to Volgograd.
The suspects admitted guilt during investigations.
The case involved coordinated efforts by the Investigative Committee, FSB, and regional anti-extremism center.
The maximum penalty for the crime is up to five years in prison.

Points of divergence

The Central District Court of Volgograd ordered the arrest of both men. — novaya_eu
Kovalenko claimed he had no money to throw in the fountain and used 5,000 rubles as a substitute. — vm
The suspects allegedly fled after filming and were found a month later by FSB forces. — tg_kavkazrealii
Kovalenko claimed that a linguistic expert found no violations in his actions after the investigation concluded. — tg_varlamov_news
The video was posted in July and the suspects were detained shortly after the investigation began. — tg_sotavisionmedia

Coverage (7 sources)

«As a result of coordinated joint work»: blogger sent to pretrial detention for prank at Mamayev Kurgan — Говорит НеМосква
In Volgograd, a blogger and his friend were arrested for throwing 5000 rubles into a body of water on Mamayev Kurgan — Новая газета Европа
Blogger Kovalenko threw a five-thousand ruble bill into a fountain on Mamayev Kurgan: video, arrest, criminal case — Вечерняя Москва
Pop-MMA fighter Kovalenko detained after scandalous video on Mamayev Kurgan — РИАМО
Blogger who threw 5 thousand rubles into water near Mamyev Kurgan detained with FSB involvement in criminal case about desecration... — SOTAvision
A month after the video of a prank at Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd was published, two bloggers – Svyatoslav Ko… were detained — Кавказ.Реалии
Sports blogger Svyatoslav Kovalenko and his acquaintance were detained over a video in which they threw a five-thousand ruble note into the water... — Varlamov News

Blogger and friend jailed over prank at Mamayev Kurgan

Consensus

Points of divergence

Coverage (7 sources)

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