KEY POINTS
- The teen’s case was transferred to the investigative department in Chechnya
- The teen allegedly told interrogators that he was contacted by “people from Ukraine” and was “offered some money”
- A law enforcement source told Russian state-controlled media that American intelligence was also involved in the matter
Authorities in Russia have apprehended a 19-year-old for allegedly setting a Quran on fire in front of a mosque on Ukrainian intelligence orders, the Investigative Committee of Russia said.
The Investigative Committee said in a report that the arrest stemmed from a video clip of the incident that was shot around Friday in front of a mosque in the southwestern region of Volgograd and was posted on “an Internet portal under the control of the Center for Informational and Psychological Operations of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.”
The suspect, identified as Nikita Zhuravel, admitted to burning the Quran allegedly “on directions from Ukrainian intelligence services for a reward of 10,000 rubles ($125),” according to the report.
The young man also allegedly gave a recording of the action to a Ukrainian intelligence officer, the committee claimed.
Zhuravel was charged with offending the feelings of religious believers, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. It is unknown whether a criminal case on his alleged cooperation with Ukrainian officials will be opened.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) distributed a video of Zhuravel’s arrest and interrogation. However, when the independent media outlet Mediazona viewed a copy of the clip, it noticed that the video appeared to be heavily edited.
In the video, the suspect answered leading questions from a person off-camera and claimed that he was contacted by “people from Ukraine” and “offered some money.”
Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti cited an unnamed “source in a law enforcement department” as claiming that “there is direct involvement of American intelligence” in the case.
The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, personally ordered the transfer of Zhuravel’s case to the investigative department in Chechnya, where most residents are Muslim, due to “multiple requests by residents of the Chechen Republic,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
The Russian mufti of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Volgograd region, Kifah Bata Mohammad, told reporters that the case was a “provocation” by a foreign military or of other countries.
If convicted, Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko suggested that Zhuravel be imprisoned at a jail in “a region with a predominantly Muslim population.”
According to video clips FSB distributed, Zhuravel is a Sevastopol native who has been studying in Volgograd for a few years. He appeared to be working as a food delivery worker.
