25 February 2010, 23:00
Suspect of desecrating veterans' tombs in Rostov Region pleads guilty
Militiamen of the city of Azov, Rostov Region, have detained a suspect of committing vandalism in the veterans' cemetery. According to the GUVD (Chief Interior Department), the 19-year-old local resident destroyed more than 30 tombs; the youngster has admitted his guilt.
Let us remind you that in Azov, in the new city cemetery, about 30 gravestones were destroyed; installed on tombs of heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Militiamen managed to detain two suspected Azov residents hot on the trail: the teenagers are 14 (figures as a witness) and 18 years old.
"A week later, employees of the Azov ROVD (District Interior Division) detained a suspect of vandalism. He was a jobless local resident of 19. The detainee told that in the evening on February 14 he was drinking alcohol with his friends in one of garages. His way home passed directly near the veterans' cemetery. And here, the youngster felt a huge drive. The result of his stupid actions was destruction of more than 30 tombstones of perished veterans," the "News61.ru" quotes Ekaterina Danova, an employee of the press service of the GUVD.
Currently, a criminal case was opened under Article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Desecration of bodies of diseased and their burials". The detained Azov resident is under threat of up to 12 months of corrective works or imprisonment for up to three months, as the RBC reports. The young man does not deny his guilt. "Yes, I repent very much, I didn't want to do it," the "Don-TR" quotes the detainee.
The crime caused a broad public resonance. Until now, people are calling to the administration of Azov and offer their help in restoring the monuments. The managers of the memorial complex plan to restore the gravestones as soon as the snow melts.
