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Russian Woman May Face Up To Five Years In Prison For 'Desecration' Of Putin's Parents' Grave


A young Vladimir Putin with his mother, Maria Ivanovna Putina.
A young Vladimir Putin with his mother, Maria Ivanovna Putina.

A 60-year-old Russian woman may face up to five years in prison for what investigators called the desecration of the grave of the parents of President Vladimir Putin.

Maksim Tsybanyov, a resident of Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, said on October 11 that his mother, Irina Tsybanyova, was detained on October 10 after she visited a cemetery last week and left a written message at the grave of the Russian president’s parents.

According to Tsybanyov, a court in St. Petersburg on October 11 extended his mother's preliminary detainment to 48 hours, within which her pretrial restrictions will be decided.

Tsybanyova's government-appointed lawyer, Sergei Trusov, said that his client was charged with hatred-based desecration of a grave, adding that she may face up to five years in prison if found guilty.

"It is unknown what exactly was written in the message. But she said it was a 'death wish'," Tsybanyov said about his mother’s note. He did not elaborate.

In late September, a page from a school diary was placed at the grave with a message saying: "Dear parents! Your son behaves awfully! He skips history lessons, fights with classmates, threatens to blow up the school! Undertake proper measures!" -- hinting at the war in Ukraine launched by Putin in February.

With reporting by Mediazona

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