The Board of Directors approved the responsibility in the Criminal Code for the desecration of military graves

Responsibility for the desecration of military graves, monuments, steles, obelisks, and other memorial structures and objects commemorating those who died defending the Fatherland will be included in the Criminal Code. Such amendments were approved on Monday, March 31, by the government commission on legislative activity (the document is at the disposal of Izvestia), according to editorial sources in the government.

Until 2020, criminal liability for desecration of buildings dedicated to the fight against fascism or victims of fascism was covered by paragraph "b" of the second part of Article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Gruzdev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, told Izvestia.

"Federal Law No. 112 of 04/7/2020 excluded these objects of criminal encroachment from Article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The bill is aimed at increasing the criminal protection of objects that perpetuate the memory of those who died defending the Fatherland or its interests or dedicated to the days of military glory of Russia," he said.

Currently, Article 243.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation applies only to cases of destruction and damage of such facilities.

"Therefore, it does not cover actions that are not aimed at causing property damage, but are of a desecrating nature, for example, cooking on an Eternal Flame," Gruzdev said.

Earlier that day, it was reported that vandals had desecrated the graves of Izvestia war correspondent Alexander Fedorchak and three other dead participants in a special military operation. The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Crimea said that a case had been opened. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation monstrous and pointed out the need to apply harsh measures to those responsible.