A Volgograd-based courier named Nikita Zhuravel became a defendant in a criminal case connected to the burning of a Qur’an. The case, led by the office of Alexander Bastrykin, will be transferred to the Chechen Republic department for further handling.
An official representative of the department, Svetlana Petrenko, stated that the move was driven by a wave of appeals from Chechen residents who pressed to be recognized as victims in the matter.
Following the decision, Konstantin Chuichenko, head of the Russian Ministry of Justice, indicated that the accused should be transferred to a reform facility in a region that is largely Muslim. He shared these views in a report to TASS, the Russian state news agency.
Chuichenko noted that such actions could help foster respect for religion and protect the religious feelings of believers within Russia’s diverse, multi-denominational society.
At the same time, Zhuravel remains a suspect in the case under Part 2 of Article 148 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which addresses public acts that express contempt for society or insult the religious feelings of believers.
Investigators state that the individual allegedly burned a Qur’an near the Cathedral Mosque on Povorinskaya Street in Volgograd and recorded the act on a mobile phone. The footage was later described as having been published on an Internet portal controlled by the Information and Psychological Operations Center of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Law enforcement officials argued that the suspect carried out a public act intended to offend religious sentiments, occurring in a space expressly designed for worship and other religious rites.
During interrogation, a video release by Russia’s Federal Security Service Center for Public Affairs shows the man admitting guilt and mentioning ties to Kyiv. In the video, the defendant describes purchasing the Qur’an under the instruction of Ukrainian authorities and setting it alight near the mosque on May 4. He claims to have recorded the event on his own phone and sent the materials to Ukrainian security personnel, allegedly for payment of 10,000 rubles for the job.
The video also outlines the motive as an attempt to spark religious tension between Christians and Muslims in the Volgograd region.
Investigators say the detainee also confessed to another offense—filming Russian military installations that were deployed from Ukraine.
There is mention of American intelligence involvement in the case, with official statements linking Ukrainian actions to the broader influence of Western agencies. A report maintained that the Ukrainian regime, including its special services, operates under the coordination of American and British agencies in planning and executing terrorist acts and sabotage within the Russian Federation.
The head of the Investigative Committee, Bastrykin, ordered investigators to examine any evidence suggesting foreign state representatives played a role in the criminal organization under investigation. The directive aims to ensure a thorough review of all possible foreign involvement as part of the inquiry, with emphasis on maintaining security and legal accountability across jurisdictions.