Family steals ancient icon during christening in Chelyabinsk temple

A family stole an ancient icon during a christening in a temple in Chelyabinsk. The corresponding footage appeared on January 9 at the disposal of "Izvestia".

Unknown persons stole a century-old icon of the Mother of God from the Church of St. Basil the Great, located in the Tractorozavodsky district of the city. The footage shows that while some of the participants of the sacrament were engaged in children, two men committed the theft, having previously crossed themselves.

According to the information of the Main Department (GU) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the region, a criminal case was initiated on the fact of the incident, the suspects were detained.

"The suspects turned out to be two local residents, born in 1986 and 2004. <...> Currently with them all necessary procedural actions are carried out," - stated in the Telegram-channel of the Department.

Earlier, July 8, 2024, police detained a woman who stole an icon of St. Gabriel from the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Rogozhskaya Sloboda in Moscow. The suspect, choosing a moment when no one was watching her, took the object, hid it under her jacket and fled. A criminal case under the article on theft (part 2, article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) was initiated on this fact. A measure of restraint was chosen against the detainee in the form of a signature not to leave.