On December 2, the administration of the city of Kovrov in Vladimir Oblast asked residents for help in locating the children who threw snowballs at the Eternal Flame near the memorial dedicated to those who died in the Great Patriotic War, as noted by the Dovod media outlet.
After the flame was extinguished, the children dispersed. Emergency rescue service employees later reignited it. Officials stated that "a report and video recordings have already been handed over to the police."
"This may be classified as desecration of the Eternal Flame, a symbol of military glory, and carry criminal liability," the administration said.
On December 3, the Investigative Committee reported that it had identified four schoolchildren aged 11 to 12 who were responsible for extinguishing the flame. They were summoned for questioning along with their parents.
In November 2024, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case for desecrating burial sites (Article 244 of the Russian Criminal Code) against a homeless man from Dagestan who was warming himself up by the Eternal Flame. In May, police officers forced a resident of Krasnodar Krai to apologize on camera for lighting a cigarette from the flame. A resident of the Republic of Komi, who poured lemonade over the Eternal Flame, was charged with desecrating symbols of military glory (Article 354.1 of the Russian Criminal Code).
