Showman Stas Baretsky was detained yesterday near the US Embassy in Moscow after an unusual incident at the embassy walls. He brought a ceremonial wreath and asked that the body of Mikhail Gorbachev be interred in the United States or Germany. Baretsky told socialbites.ca that he remained in police custody, with access to a phone while in the department cell.
“I did not intend to carry out any serious action. We were riding in a taxi toward the Khovanskoye cemetery when I saw the American flag. I felt a surge of emotion and decided to lay a wreath. I always carry a wreath with me to work. I started to lie down, they blocked me, but I continued anyway. I also placed the wreath on the head of a police officer, which stirred them up. Now I’m at the police department, caught up in the moment, and I even pushed a senior officer, causing him to stumble. For five years this has weighed on me,” Baretsky explained.
The showman indicated that today he would be transferred to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for preliminary investigative procedures.
“[I’m accused of] disobedience and pushing a police officer… Today they plan to take me to Petrovka, building 38, for some pre-investigation steps. Still, I hope they will release me, Petrovka, because I know many of the staff there; they are well-educated people,” the statement read.
Previously Baretsky had stated that Mikhail Gorbachev should be buried in the United States or Germany. He defended his stance by arguing that Gorbachev not only opened the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall but also accelerated the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany. Baretsky linked the current tensions between Russia and NATO to the policies of the final Soviet leader’s era, drawing a direct line between past decisions and today’s geopolitics.