A Moscow court on November 18 sentenced Daniil Golikov, 28, and Andrei Kozlovsky, 26, to 2 1/2 and three years in a "colony settlement" for vandalizing an informal memorial to participants in the war in Ukraine.
A colony settlement is a less restrictive form of imprisonment near an industrial facility, where convicts work alongside other convicts and regular employees.
The Tver district court found the men guilty of vandalism and destroying memorial structures commemorating those killed in Ukraine.
The charges stemmed from an incident on March 11, when Golikov and Kozlovsky scattered flowers and damaged items at a makeshift memorial in Moscow dedicated to "all those who died during the Russian Spring and Special Military Operation"-- the Kremlin's official term for its invasion of Ukraine.
According to investigators, the men caused damage worth 55,730 rubles ($557), including the destruction of wreaths, flower vases, and artificial carnations. The memorial honored members of the Wagner mercenary group killed in Ukraine.
SEE ALSO: Two More Ex-Cons Recruited By Wagner Mercenary Group Sentenced For MurdersA 40-second video, shared on pro-war Telegram channels and used as evidence in court, showed one of the men kicking a flower vase. The prosecution presented expert studies claiming the memorial had cultural and historical significance.
Golikov and Kozlovsky pleaded guilty, apologized, and paid restitution. They claimed to have been drunk and unable to recall the events.
The case highlights Russia's growing trend of memorializing soldiers killed in Ukraine through plaques, the renaming of streets, and other dedications.
Historian Maksim Kuzakhmetov noted this is unprecedented, even compared to Stalin-era practices, arguing that the government uses "fallen heroes" to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.