Russian Influencer Faces Prison Time For Air Tickling The Breast Of A War Statue

People do what they want to do. But sometimes, some of the things they do are sometimes done impulsively.

What this means, some actions are made without thinking. This can lead to various troubles, and Alena Agafonova has learned this the hard way.

The 23-year-old influencer from Moscow gained attention for her controversial actions, in which she filmed herself air tickling the breast of The Motherland Calls statue, a well-known Russian war monument, and sharing the video on Instagram.

The statue is one of the most prominent landmarks, and that people take photos there.

But there are things that can be, and cannot be done.

And being anti-patriotic is one of them.

And not just that, because in the video, she is also heard humming a tune and laughing, and accompanied the post by a laughing emoji.

Soon, people were outraged by this. And when the post went viral, it also caught the attention of the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, who was also outraged by this behavior.

It was him who ordered to initiate a criminal case.

It's reported that Alena Agafonova removed the post from her Instagram account, and attempted to evade by hiding in Sri Lanka, in order to avoid legal ramifications.

After about a year, and when she thought everything has settled, she returned to Russia on February 8, to only get apprehended in the airport.

She was immediately transported from Moscow to Volgograd, in handcuffs, where she is then held due to pending investigation by the authorities.

Agafonova stands accused of various charges including 'desecration of a burial site,' and 'cynical actions violating moral norms.'

And in particular, she is also accused for 'rehabilitation of Nazis,' in which she is accused of defiling the symbols of Russia's military glory.

The woman have issued a remorseful apology.

"I address all residents of Russia and Volgograd and ask everyone not to commit the acts I did last year because of my stupidity," she said. "I didn’t even think that I could insult someone’s feelings. I ask all Russian citizens for forgiveness."

While she regretted what she did, she is still a subject to criminal prosecution in Volgograd, potentially facing a sentence of up to five years in prison.

During the trial, 23-year-old Alena burst into tears.

In all, Agafonova caught herself in trouble because she pretended to touch a war statue.

But this war statue is no ordinary sculpture.

The Motherland Calls (Russian: Родина-мать зовёт!, tr. Rodina-mat' zovyot!) is a monument, erected in Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, the location of one of World War II's most epic, and bloodiest battles.

Created by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin, it was designed using a Soviet-style socialist realism sporting the flag and coat of arms of Volgograd Oblast.

It boasts a figure of a woman stepping forward with a raised sword, as an image of the Motherland, which calls on its sons and daughters to repulse the enemy and return to the attack.

It has two hundred steps that lead from the bottom of the hill to the monument, which symbolizes the 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad.

And not just that, because Vasily Chuikov, a World War II Marshal of the Soviet Union, who killed 225 soldiers and officers of the German army and their allies in the battle of Stalingrad, is also buried in the area of the monument.

In other words, The Motherland Calls statue commemorates the Soviet victory against Adolf Hitler’s forces.

Standing at 85 meters, the statue is considered the tallest statue in the eastern hemisphere outside of Asia.

Agafonova’s case highlights the stricter moral standards enforced in Russia by President Vladimir Putin, who strongly value patriotism and traditional values, especially during the ongoing war with Ukraine.

It's worth noting that there have been calls to cover the statue due to its perceived indecency, citing Orthodox and Muslim Russians’ concerns.