The Moscow Golovinsky District Court opened a criminal case last year against a tattoo model known as Polina Face, whose real name is Polina Morugina. The case concerns alleged insults to religious believers. On Tuesday, January 10, TASS reported.
Officials noted that a criminal case was filed against Morugina under Part 1 of Article 148 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The charge involves public acts expressing open contempt for society and aimed at insulting the religious feelings of believers. A court session date had not yet been set, according to the agency.
The investigation centers on a social media post by the model that featured nude photos taken in front of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Moscow.
Under current law, Morugina faces potential penalties including a fine of up to 300 thousand rubles, compulsory labor, or imprisonment for up to one year.
heart of matter
Twenty-five-year-old Polina Face is recognized for a distinctive look marked by extensive body and facial tattoos. Online coverage often notes her rise to prominence through adult-oriented commercial work.
In 2021 the Most Holy Theotokos in Fili published photographs of the model naked inside the Church of the Intercession, which triggered public outrage. The images were deleted from her accounts shortly after they appeared.
Exactly one year ago, in January 2022, authorities began an inquiry into that incident. Initially, an administrative offense was being considered, but prosecutors later escalated the matter to a criminal proceeding.
According to a defense attorney quoted by socialbites.ca, the act falls under Article 148 of the Criminal Code and will be interpreted differently by different courts. The attorney suggested that insulting religious feelings can be treated as a petty crime, and without prior convictions, actual prison time is unlikely. Courts historically have tended to impose fines, corrective labor, or suspended sentences. A 2017 case in Sochi involved a 50,000 ruble fine for posting profiles with offensive imagery linked to Christ, according to the defense.
Historical decisions indicate that some defendants received corrective labor or fines for actions categorized as insulting believers. In 2016, two residents of the Kirov region were convicted for vandalizing memorials with offensive inscriptions and for displaying them on a cross in a public place, resulting in 230 hours of corrective work. In 2017, a case in Yekaterinburg related to inappropriate behavior in a local temple yielded a probation sentence of 3.5 years.
sex in the temple
There have also been instances where individuals received real prison terms for offending believers. In October 2021 a Moscow court sentenced a Tajikistan-based blogger, Ruslan Bobiev, and his partner, Anastasia Chistova, to ten months in prison for a provocative photo taken near St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square. They were found guilty under Part 1 of Article 148 of the Criminal Code. The photo, which was posted on social media, depicted an act intended to resemble sexual activity while one participant wore a jacket bearing the word police. They were detained after the image circulated online, sparking public concern.