19:25, 21 August 2026

Two bloggers have been arrested in Volgograd in a case of desecration of the memorial.

Svyatoslav Kovalenko in the courtroom. Photo: Unified press service of the courts of the Volgograd region.

The court in Volgograd has sent bloggers Svyatoslav Kovalenko and Andrey Yaroshenko to pre-trial detention until October 5 in a case of desecration of the memorial to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad at Mamaev Kurgan.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", at the end of July, the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, demanded a report on the investigation into the actions of Astrakhan blogger Svyatoslav Kovalenko, who filmed a video at Mamaev Kurgan that caused criticism from some citizens. The blogger himself believes he did nothing provocative.

Astrakhan blogger Svyatoslav Kovalenko posted a video on his social media where he throws a five-thousand-ruble bill into the water at the sculpture "Stand to the Death" at Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd. "As they say, wishes come true. I made a wish. Usually, people throw coins here, I decided to throw 5000 rubles, here it is," he stated. Then he stepped aside and began filming people's reactions to the bill in the water. Several people of different ages tried to retrieve it, but to no avail. Eventually, a man approached the pool, took off his shoes, and jumped in after the bill.

According to the investigation, on July 24, 2026, Svyatoslav Kovalenko and his friend Andrey Yaroshenko were on the territory of the memorial complex "Mamaev Kurgan" in the Central District of Volgograd.

To attract the attention of subscribers to their internet blog on social media, Kovalenko and Yaroshenko "publicly demonstrated cynical disregard and a humiliating attitude towards the memorial complex, its historical and spiritual purpose, as well as norms of morality and ethics," reported the unified press service of the courts of the Volgograd region on their page on "VKontakte".

Kovalenko and Yaroshenko threw a five-thousand-ruble bill into the artificial pond surrounding the sculpture "Stand to the Death!" This was done to provoke visitors to jump into the water and try to retrieve the money.

In turn, Yaroshenko, playing a pre-agreed role, jumped into the pond by the sculpture to "demonstrate the superiority of material values over spiritual ones" on video and retrieved the bill. They accompanied their actions with mockery during the video recording.

Subsequently, Kovalenko posted the video on social media. The recording became available for viewing to at least 500,000 subscribers, the press service clarified.

On August 20, the bloggers were detained by law enforcement on suspicion of desecrating memorial structures . During interrogation, Kovalenko admitted his guilt, while Yaroshenko denies it.

By a ruling of the Central District Court of Volgograd on August 21, Svyatoslav Kovalenko and Andrey Yaroshenko were ordered to be held in custody until October 5, 2026.

Earlier, "Caucasian Knot" reported that in October 2024, trash streamer Vera Egorenkova from Oryol spat at the image of the monument "Motherland Calls!" in Volgograd during one of her streams and hit it with a rag. She was accused of desecrating symbols of Russian military glory.

In the summer of 2023, a blogger from Samara, Alena Agafonova, filmed a video at Mamaev Kurgan. In the video, the girl pretends to touch the breast of the sculpture "Motherland Calls!" and laughs, then falls onto the grass at the foot of the monument. Agafonova later apologized. She was arrested on charges of desecrating a symbol of military glory. The court sentenced her to 10 months of compulsory labor.

It is worth noting that the remains of 34,505 defenders of Stalingrad rest at Mamaev Kurgan. There are also 35 granite tombstones of Heroes of the Soviet Union who participated in the defense of the city, according to a report by "Caucasian Knot" "Mamaev Kurgan and the sculpture "Motherland Calls!"".

Translated automatically via OpenAI from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/425968