Two men arrested for prank at Mamayev Kurgan memorial

In Volgograd, two suspects in the desecration of the memorial complex "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamayev Kurgan were detained, the regional office of the Investigative Committee of Russia reported.

Consensus

The incident occurred on July 24 at the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex.
A 5,000-ruble banknote was thrown into the fountain surrounding the 'Stand to the Death!' monument.
One of the men pretended to be a random visitor and jumped into the water to retrieve the money.
The event was filmed on a mobile phone and later posted on social media.
Both men were detained after fleeing Volgograd and were brought back for investigation.
An investigation was opened under part 2, articles a and b of Article 243.4 of the Russian Criminal Code (desecration of military cemeteries and memorial structures by a group with prior agreement).
The suspects are facing up to five years in prison.
The case is being handled by the Investigative Committee of Russia.
The suspects were detained in different regions following coordinated efforts by the Investigative Committee, FSB, and police.

Points of divergence

The Central District Court of Volgograd arrested Andrey Yaroshenko from Podolsk and blogger Svятoslav Kovalenko until October 5, 2026. — vm
The video released by the Investigative Committee shows both men admitting guilt. — meduza
Svятoslav Kovalenko previously served a prison sentence for drug offenses in 2012 and did not admit guilt at that time. — meduza
Kovalenko claimed the video was filmed spontaneously. — meduza
Kovalenko stated the video was filmed spontaneously. — tg_tvrain
Kovalenko and his friend left Volgograd and were later detained in Podolsk and Kislovodsk. — meduza
The suspects were detained in different regions and brought to Volgograd for investigative actions. — kommerant
The suspects are 31 and 36 years old. — interfax
The suspects are 31 and 36, and the case involves desecration of military cemeteries. — vesti

Coverage (7 sources)

Two men pulled a prank at the fountain on Mamayev Kurgan: case status — Вечерняя Москва
In Volgograd, sports blogger Svyatoslav Kovalenko was detained for desecrating the monument to the 'Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad' — Дождь (Telegram)
Pop-MMA fighter Svyatoslav Kovalenko detained for desecrating monument on Mamayev Kurgan. He threw money into a pond and offered passersby to retrieve it — Meduza
Pop-MMA fighter Kovalenko detained for desecration of complex on Mamayev Kurgan — Коммерсантъ
MMA fighter accused of desecrating Mamayev Kurgan with money — Фонтанка
In Volgograd, suspects in desecration of monument on Mamayev Kurgan detained — Интерфакс
Arrested those who desecrated the memorial to the heroes of Stalingrad for hype — Вести

Two men arrested for prank at Mamayev Kurgan memorial

Consensus

Points of divergence

Coverage (7 sources)

Key entities

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