Russian teenagers in Tolyatti face criminal charges after singing Ukrainian national anthem

A group of teenagers in the Russian city of Tolyatti have been charged with criminal offences after singing the Ukrainian national anthem and "Our father is Bandera, Ukraine is our mother!", a Ukrainian patriotic song about a mortally wounded Ukrainian insurgent and his mourning mother.

Source: Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in Samara Oblast on Telegram

Details: On 30 June, a video that law enforcement officers had discovered while monitoring social media appeared on Telegram.

It shows one of the teenagers singing "Our father is Bandera", followed by Ukraine's national anthem. Russian security forces claim that these pieces of music "contain signs of the rehabilitation of Nazism".

Therefore, having discovered the teenagers’ "illegal actions", the Investigative Committee in Samara Oblast opened a criminal case on the charge of "rehabilitation of Nazism" (Article 354.1.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Investigators are currently "establishing all the circumstances of the incident and collecting evidence".

Local Telegram channels report that the teenagers have been detained. One of them said he had sung the Ukrainian songs after a party to celebrate leaving school, to entertain his friends and attract attention. He has apologised and expressed regret for his actions.

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