Influencer who went into hiding in Sri Lanka sentenced in Russia
An Instagram influencer who went into hiding in Sri Lanka has been sentenced to ten months hard labour in Russia for “tickling” the breast of a famous war statue.
Alena Agafonova, aged 23, posted a video beneath The Motherland Calls monument in Volgograd, southwest Russia, on Instagram last year which appears to show her tickling the right breast of the figure. The video caused outrage at the time, and was told in February that she could be handed a jail sentence of up to five years because of her actions.
The memorial, which is a 279ft statue of a woman brandishing a sword, commemorates the “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” – one of World War 2’s most epic battles. It was declared the tallest statue in the world in 1967, and it is also the tallest statue in the eastern hemisphere outside of Asia.
As well as being ordered to carry out hard labour, Agafonova has also been banned from social media for two years and will lose 10% of her future earnings as a fine to the state. The punishment is lesser than expected, however, when compared with other rulings by courts in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The video of Agafonova’s act was officially banned in Russia earlier this year. Agafonova, who is Russian, went into hiding in Sri Lanka soon after the video was posted. She was subsequently put on Russia’s wanted list following the incident and in February she was brought back to her her homeland.
The influencer was immediately transported from Moscow to Volgograd and was detained pending further investigations. She also then posted a video offering an apology for her act. In the video, which some believe has been posted on the order of law officials, she said: “I address all residents of Russia and Volgograd and ask everyone not to commit the acts I did last year because of my stupidity. (National World / Colombo Gazette)
