A RUSSIAN influencer has been sentenced to prison for “tickling the breast” of a famous war statue.
Alena Agafonova, 23, will be sent to Vladimir Putin’s infamous gulag jail where she will be forced to do 10 months of hard labour.
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She has been convicted of the “Rehabilitation of Nazism” by a Russian court for a social media video she filmed last year at the famous war statue of The Motherland Calls.
The memorial, a 279ft statue of a woman brandishing a sword, commemorates the “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” – one of World War 2’s most epic battles.
In the video, which is now officially banned in Russia, Alena appears to “tickle” the figure’s right breast.
She has also been banned from social media for two years – and will now have to pay 10 per cent of her future earnings as a fine to the state.
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Previous footage showed Alena handcuffed as a law enforcement officer read out her indictment.
He said: “I am informing you that the investigative department for the Central District of Volgograd has a criminal case against you for the desecration of a symbol of military glory of Russia, an insult to the memory of defenders of the fatherland, committed with the use of the internet…”
The influencer appeared to cry in court hearings as she promised to not make the same mistake again.
She said: “I address all residents of Russia and Volgograd and ask everyone not to commit the acts I did last year because of my stupidity.
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“I didn’t even think that I could insult someone’s feelings. I ask all Russian citizens for forgiveness.”
Separately, she offered “deep apologies” for her stunt.
Alena was put on Russia’s wanted list after the incident – and was accused of “desecration of a burial site” and “cynical actions that disregard the norms of morality”.
She went into hiding in Sri Lanka to avoid an action by Putin’s brutal force.
However, she was detained as soon as she entered Russia – and was immediately transported to Volgograd for further action.
The Motherland Calls statue is among the most famous in Russia and commemorates those who fought and died in one of the bloodiest battles in the Second World War, resulting in a decisive Soviet victory against Adolf Hitler.
The USSR suffered more than one million casualties during the Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted from August 1942 until February 1943.
Alena’s punishment shows the new morality in Russia under Putin amid the war with Ukraine.
The dictator has been cracking down any behaviour deemed as debauched despite being no stranger to going topless himself.
While the despot is known for stripping down and showing off his impressive but steroid-infused physique, he has earned himself a “prudish” reputation for imposing an unprecedented new drive on traditional values.
His new morality hounds anyone who defies “traditional values”, imposing tough sentences on them.
Russian rapper Maxim Tesli was recently charged with “petty hooliganism” after he appeared in a concert wearing nothing but a sock over his manhood back in January.
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Another influencer also faced a potential six-year jail sentence in Russia for using Instagram after the app was banned by Putin.
Elsewhere, a pair of female Russian influencers were forced into abject apologies and will face hefty fines over a kiss they posted on social media.
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Source: Sun
