Fire trail: who desecrated the grave of military commander Alexander Fedorchak

The criminal case, which was opened after the arson of the graves of Izvestia military commander Alexander Fedorchak and three SVO fighters, may be retrained — it is possible that the article on grave abuse will be supplemented with charges of treason, experts say. They are sure that the crime was committed by order of the Ukrainian authorities. According to the case file, the wreaths and cross on Fedorchak's grave in Crimea were doused with flammable liquid and set on fire. The HRC proposed to toughen the punishment for desecrating the memory of ITS participants — to set a life sentence for such crimes. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

Who is behind the desecration of the graves of Fedorchak and his fighters

In Crimea, on the night of March 31, unknown persons set fire to the grave of Alexander Fedorchak, a military correspondent of Izvestia, who died on March 24, along with three other members of the SVR. Judging by the footage from the cemetery, the burial was filled with flammable liquid and set on fire, after which the fire spread to neighboring graves.

"A criminal case has been opened into the incident under Part 1 of Article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Abuse of the bodies of the deceased and their burial sites")," the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.

All necessary assistance will be provided to the families of the victims, said Anton Kravets, head of the administration of the Nizhnegorsky district of Crimea. New wreaths, a portrait in a funeral frame and a cross have already been installed on the grave, which was consecrated by the rector of the church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Nizhnegorsky, Archpriest Alexander Samobodai.

"The grave has been cleared of coals, and nothing reminds us of the nighttime arson," Oleg Zaikovsky, a correspondent for Izvestia, reported from the scene.

The act of vandalism with the arson of Alexander Fedorchak's grave was organized by the enemy, said Vladimir Tyulin, General Director of Izvestia.

— I can't imagine burning a grave, settling scores with Sasha Fedorchak, who died heroically. The whole world should know and see that we are dealing with an enemy who is burning crosses — Christian Orthodox crosses. There are also crosses on the grave," he stressed. — I believe that this action, and there is no doubt that it is organized by the enemy side, clearly shows all normal people that there are no conversations with such an enemy. These people understand only the language of power.

Fedorchak's death in the SVO zone became known on March 24. He worked on the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic and in the Kharkiv region. The last report of the journalist on the situation in Kupyansk direction was aired on March 23. A memorial was erected in the Izvestia News Center building as a sign of mourning for the deceased correspondent.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation monstrous at a briefing on March 31.

"Of course, the harshest measures [against those responsible] should be applied,— Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing on March 31. "This is unacceptable and outrageous, monstrous, and we condemn such actions in the strongest terms.

The vandals who violated the grave of Alexander Fedorchak can be called Satanists, says Andrei Klimov, deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs.

— This is proof that our opponents, who kill journalists and civilians, are Satanists. What else can explain the abuse of graves? This is pure Satanism," he told Izvestia.

According to Klimov, the Kiev regime is behind the attack.

"When they try to whitewash them, to present them as some kind of freedom fighters, for independence, the fact of desecration of graves outweighs everything else," the senator added.

Alexander Talipov, the leader of the Crimean SMERSH public movement and adviser to the head of the republic, is also confident that the act of vandalism against Fedorchak's grave and his fighters was carried out by order of the Ukrainian authorities.

— Ukraine is currently suffering defeat along the entire front line. Therefore, its soldiers and mercenaries carry out acts of intimidation. This is how they hope to distract attention from their failure," he explained.

Anna Moskalets, Chairman of the Union of Journalists of the Zaporizhia region, called the incident "a sign of agony" on the part of Ukraine.

— The enemy is mortally afraid of the truth that our journalists bring to the world, afraid of the invincible Russian spirit shown at the front by our colleagues with cameras and fighters with guns in their hands. He's so afraid of it that he's fighting with the dead," she said.

"It wasn't just vandals who did it"

Russian grave robber Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia that the purpose of the barbaric abuse of soldiers' graves is to show his hatred for people who defend the right of Russians to live on their land, according to their laws, and speak their native language.

— It was not just vandals who did this, but Bandera, fascists and nationalists. And the fact that they exist in Crimea is not surprising. The peninsula's presence in Ukraine for about 60 years could not but affect some of its inhabitants," he stressed.

The expert also noted that there are such people among residents of other regions of Russia that were not part of Ukraine.

— Traitors must be identified, taken by the ear and in the sun. There is no other way. Otherwise, it will continue even after we sign all the peace agreements and cease fire," Litovkin believes.

In a fair fight, the enemy can do nothing, so they are fighting with monuments and the dead, doing it surreptitiously and engaging in terrorist acts, Roman Shkurlatov, chairman of the board of the all-Russian organization Officers of Russia, told Izvestia.

"Such a criminal offense against the memory of people who fell in their service, including journalists who performed their professional duties and also laid down their lives in the name of the Fatherland, is unacceptable," he stressed.

However, according to him, counterintelligence and state security agencies regularly detain people planning various acts of sabotage.

— We should not underestimate the number of people who sympathize with the enemy, those whom we call "waiting", — Roman Shkurlatov added.

According to him, there are still enough of them and they need to be dealt with mercilessly.

Desecrators of the graves of Alexander Fedorchak and three servicemen will face "inevitable retribution," the head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, wrote on his Telegram channel.

"This is not a human act, but the meanness, hatred and unscrupulousness of animals. Cowardly avoiding a fight with the living, they mock the dead," he stressed.

But retribution, he said, is inevitable "both here on earth and there in heaven, their every step will be weighed and judged."

What threatens the desecrated graves

Depending on whether the grave was desecrated by one person or a group, the suspects could face up to five years in prison, lawyer Vitaly Ulianenko told Izvestia.

"If motives of political or ideological hatred are found in the case, for example, towards the participants of the SVO, this may increase responsibility,— lawyer Andrei Mishonov added.

Alexander Talipov is confident that a new qualification of the case may appear. According to him, those who desecrated the graves of the fighters participating in the SVR may be charged with treason or cooperation on a confidential basis with a foreign state, international or foreign organization.

He also noted that the Crimean SMERSH organization is conducting its own investigation and plans to provide the obtained data to law enforcement agencies.

"It is a matter of honor to find those who committed an act of vandalism over the graves of our soldiers," Alexander Talipov emphasized.

It is necessary to toughen the punishment for desecrating the graves of the participants of the SVO — it should lead to a life sentence, said Alexander Malkevich, co-chairman of the Coordinating Council for the Integration of new Regions at the Civic Chamber and a member of the Human Rights Council.

"Desecration of the graves of the participants of the SVO should become a black mark," he noted.

The expert noted that he had repeatedly proposed sending such people to the frontline regions so that they could participate in restoring peaceful life for acts related to anti-state activities directed against their own people.