When vandals attacked the cemetery three years ago, our and the townspeople's patience came to an end. Instead of once again explaining to newspapermen that the mayor's office does not have funds in the budget to combat vandalism, they decided to fight this evil on their own. To begin with, they created a headquarters of enterprising and determined opponents of the vandals. We found like-minded people in youth associations, the police, the FSB, branches of political parties, and the council of veterans. Some of them, veterans, suggested using front-line experience in the fight against vandals. As you know, in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, our soldiers had a hard time. There was a shortage of weapons and personnel. The soldiers made up for this lack of resourcefulness and ingenuity. For example, false towers with a stuffed animal instead of a sentry were often used. Another example. When it was necessary to give the enemy the impression of our numerical superiority, one of the fighters with a powerful voice shouted out commands like “first battalion, go around to the right, second battalion, prepare to attack!”, although there were no more than a company in positions. Sometimes this trick worked, allowed us to gain time, or even completely decide the outcome of the battle in favor of our soldiers. In general, we decided to resort to the same trick, agreeing to keep our plans secret, primarily from the press: some journalists, as you know, can ruin a good deed in a matter of hours.
At first, every night we changed clothes on a stuffed sentry, changed our position, our place on the tower. Someone suggested hanging a scarf that would flutter in the wind, creating the illusion of movement. An announcement was made to the press that the cemetery was now guarded, dogs were brought in, and notices were posted. We also used a sound effect. Through a loudspeaker mounted on a pole, a tape was played with a recording of the guard's warning commands.
The effect exceeded all expectations. The vandals did not appear in the first week or in the first month. For the past three years there have been no more abuses of monuments. If we had money, we probably would have taken a different path, using foreign experience. There, the cemeteries have powerful lighting throughout the territory, and video surveillance is underway. In many countries - Portugal, Spain, Italy, England - the police go around the entire territory of the cemetery every hour at night. A high fence, automatically closing gates, a loud radio announcement about the closure of the cemetery, walking around with dogs are required. Of course, such security systems are not used everywhere. There are cemeteries in Germany, Finland, Sweden, which are not guarded at all. But there, large funds and public efforts are directed to explaining why it is necessary to preserve and develop the cemetery culture. Undoubtedly, the educational approach is more civilized. For example, I prefer this approach, when people talk about cemetery culture as a national treasure, heritage. I think keyword here - "HERITAGE".
In Russia, apparently due to World War II, Bolshevism and Communism, the word "heritage" was almost never used in this context. We are accustomed to another word - Memory. The memory of those killed. And less - Memory of deeds, accomplishments, conquests. The notion of a chronicle has practically disappeared. There are many biographies, but few true chronicles of the history of science and technology, there are almost no descriptions of progress. It seems to me that our teachers made a mistake somewhere, placing a stake in education and training based on heroic deeds and the lives of eminent famous people in the spirit of patriotism. All this, of course, should be present in pedagogy. But our life passes in the era of scientific and technological progress. People make it
many of which lie in cemeteries. Young people should know about these creators, and in this, I have no doubt, any of my colleagues will support me. There are many monuments to outstanding surgeons, famous scientists, famous cultural figures in our cemeteries… Monuments stand on their own, only occasionally attracting the attention of random visitors. It is not right. Excursions and collective visits on memorial days should be organized to such burials. Professional descriptions of monuments are required. Specialists, at best, come to the cemetery to clarify the location of the monument, what it is made of. People also need more information. There are many graves of our outstanding contemporaries in the cemeteries in Rostov. But I, the head of the cemetery, do not have such information. When delegations arrive, I show the cemetery, but I can't always answer the guests' numerous questions. We have to confine ourselves to telling idle stories: the minister's mother is buried here, he comes regularly. And this is the father of a famous politician. He completely forgot his father. True, he calls from Moscow, asking to put the grave in order. But the gang of "thieves' lads", everything is like a selection. I often feel embarrassed that I do not have serious information.
My colleagues abroad, I know for sure, feel much more comfortable. Because historians are constantly working at cemeteries, who replenish the information baggage of cemetery specialists. There tours of the cemeteries - the norm. There is even a competition - the ten most visited cemeteries. When will we have it?
I am sure that if our schoolchildren were taken on excursions to cemeteries, acquainted with the life and achievements of the deceased fellow countrymen, these sightseers would hardly raise their hands on the monument in the future. After all, each monument is our heritage.
In some countries, cemeteries have acquired the status of museums, in others - cemeteries-reserves. There are cemeteries-parks where people used to walk. They come there with children in strollers, with friends, classmates. There are kiosks and small cafes in the cemeteries. They have living cemeteries. They help the living. The very way of the cemetery educates young people, teaches them to honor the memory of the dead, and helps to find the basis of patriotic pride. Booklets about cemeteries, guidebooks are published there, routes for visitors have been developed. The graves of famous fellow citizens are what they are proud of abroad in every city, in every locality. They have their own, developed over the centuries, idea of ​​what a cemetery should be like. Therefore, there the pathfinders set themselves somewhat different tasks than ours. Although the strategic goal is the same - the education of patriotism. The difference is in tactics - the choice of examples that the younger generation can be equal to. If we have heroism in defending the Fatherland, then they have the creative activity of individuals who glorified the village, city, country. They are proud of such countrymen, remember them, honor their memory. On this basis, patriotism is brought up.
Unfortunately, not a single country in the world has been spared by the cemetery typhoon of vandalism. This problem is planetary. The manifestation of vandalism has been recorded on different continents and in different countries both in the West and in the East.
Reports of acts of vandalism in cemeteries now and then appear on the pages of foreign media. In Europe, for example, the case when the President of the French Republic was forced to send an apology letter to the Queen of Great Britain for an act of vandalism at the cemetery of British soldiers who died in northern France during the First World War was long remembered. As the letter says, “These unacceptable and shameful actions are unanimously condemned by the French people. On behalf of France and on my own behalf, I ask you to accept my deepest regret in connection with what happened.
I don't remember that the Russian authorities reacted to at least one fact of cemetery vandalism recorded on the territory of our Fatherland. The protesting voice of the Church is much more often heard. According to Archbishop Vikenty of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, people who decide to commit the sacrilege of desecrating graves, not only themselves, but also their descendants, fall under a terrible curse.
I wanted to finish the article with these words about the curse, but the thought came to look into the dictionary. According to the dictionary definition, vandalism is the senseless destruction of objects. material culture, works of art, historical monuments. In criminal law Russian Federation this act qualifies as a crime against public safety, consisting in the desecration of buildings or other structures and damage to property in public places. Based on this definition
division, then cemetery vandalism is nothing more than the desecration or destruction of graves and tomb structures. But my article convinces me that this would be too narrow a definition of cemetery vandalism. It's about not only about mechanical destruction. Cemetery vandalism is a desecration of the memory of the dead, a desecration of our spiritual heritage.
Needless to say - the place of the last rest of the dead on earth is worthy of our most reverent attitude. After all, in cemeteries we bury our dear parents, children, relatives, benefactors, friends. Therefore, a feeling of love, respect, gratitude for the deceased should involuntarily arise in us. Death does not stop, but only outwardly changes our direct relations with those close and dear to us who have gone to another world. And is it possible to find any justification for an indifferent or unworthy attitude towards the graves of those who lived before us?

Igor MORDUKHOVICH, Director of the Municipal Unitary Enterprise of Specialized Public Services, Rostov-on-Don

A person is full of various vices, which become the motives of his destructive behavior. Vandalism is a destructive act aimed at destroying or defiling private or public property. Examples are various historical events associated with robbery, destruction cultural monuments and religious items. Depending on the actions of a person, there are types of vandalism. The concept itself originates from ancient times, when destruction, theft and wars were a normal occurrence among people.

So, vandalism is the intentional destruction of cultural monuments that may belong to a private person or the state. The online magazine site takes the reader to the first century, when the tribe of the German state attacked Rome and engaged in robbery, capturing people with a view to their further ransom. At that time, this tribe was called the Vandals, despite the fact that their goal was not the destruction of cities and villages.

For the first time, the term "vandalism" was used by a religious figure, who thus called persons who in a different way destroy religious monuments and documents. Today, vandalism is manifested not only in the destruction of historical or cultural monuments, but also in other forms, which is a criminal offense. There are norms in the legal law that define who a vandal is and how his act should be punished.

What is vandalism?

It's called vandalism destructive behavior a person who destroys, defiles, spoils someone else's property of public or private significance. Psychologists also define vandalism as a state of mind when a person wants to destroy, cause harm, spoil some property.

Vandalism only damages property. It can be public, public or private. Vandalism is a corruption

1. cultural or historical monuments.
2. elevators.
3. Walls of houses.
4. Drawing inscriptions on walls or fences.
5. Damage to garbage cans.
6. Damage to children's attractions.
7. Drawing inscriptions or destroying seats in public transport.

This also includes the destruction of graves or their desecration. Damage to private property should also be considered when a person punctures tires or puts inscriptions on someone else's car, outlines the door to someone else's house, etc.

Vandalism is often inherent in impulsive, infantile and irresponsible people. To date, many movements of the so-called extremists are being created, which promote a special way of life, freedom from various rules and a revolution in the public mind. Often such movements are accompanied by damage to public property in protest against everything that is not in line with their faith.

In fact, psychologists note other motives for the behavior of vandals in modern society:

• Internal dissatisfaction with life.
• Irresponsibility, bordering on blaming people for their troubles.
• Lack of meaning in life.
• A misunderstanding of how new ideas should be presented to the public.
• Internal aggression, which spills out by damaging property.

Every person wants to live for something. As he grows up, he tries to find his meaning in life. Often this meaning is given to him by parents or society. Often a person finds it himself. However, if a person does not have the meaning of life, then he becomes subject to various movements that will give him this meaning.

Children are often involved in vandalism. adolescence who thus propagate some of their ideas. One of the areas of vandalism is graffiti - applying various inscriptions or drawings to walls and fences. If these inscriptions are destructive or immoral, then they are called damage to property.

Often inside people live aggression or dissatisfaction with their own lives. If a person cannot throw out his emotions, then he finds a way in damaging property. So, a person can turn over a garbage can, passing by it. Also, a person can express his thoughts with inscriptions on the wall of the house in which his offender lives.

Man, although he is a cultural and educated being, yet his level does not reach the level of general values. He finds a way to vent his emotions by destroying property. And here it should be remembered that this act is criminally punishable if it is proved what action a particular person committed.

Vandalism and hooliganism

Vandalism and hooliganism should be distinguished, despite the fact that they are both aimed at destroying the social order that is established by society:

1. Vandalism is the destruction of property.
2. Hooliganism is a violation of the order, often in terms of behavior that is established in society.

So, hooligan acts are called screams in the middle of the night, an attack on one person in a dark alley, indecent behavior in a public institution. Hooligans generally do not cause material harm to the state. They often cause harm to individuals through their behavior, either on a mental or material level.

Vandalism is aimed solely at the destruction or destruction of some structure or object. Here, this act is not just emotional, but also purposeful. If hooligans act in a crowd, being subjected to the effect of a general mood, then a person can engage in vandalism alone.

However, depending on the inconvenience caused, both vandalism and hooliganism are punishable by law. The differences can be distinguished in the following between the concepts:

• Hooliganism is general concept vandalism is a form of hooliganism.
• Hooligans act openly, even deliberately attracting attention to themselves. Vandalism is carried out advantageously in a quiet way so that no one sees.
• Hooliganism was formed in the 18th century, while vandalism has been known since ancient times.
• Hooligans mainly harm people, and vandals harm people's property.

People become criminally punishable from the age of 14-16 for causing hooligan or vandal acts.

Types of vandalism

Classification of vandalism is different. According to what object is defiled, the following types are distinguished:

1. Graffiti, bombing and tagging - if the drawings that are applied to walls and fences are immoral and antisocial in nature. Graffiti is very common these days. Many unrecognized artists demonstrate their talents on the walls of houses and public places. However, this is often immoral. Tagging is the quick application of your signature by the author, which does not carry any semantic load for others, but only spoils appearance walls.
2. Desecration of graves.
3. Church burning.
4. Damage or desecration of paintings and cultural monuments.
5. Destroying mailboxes and overturning trash cans.
6. Breaking glass, bottles, lanterns and light bulbs.
7. Burning books.
8. Hitting lawns.
9. Painting seats in public transport.
10. Staining the walls in the entrances or other people's cars.

Experts are not completely sure what causes vandalism. However, if earlier people destroyed monuments and cultural values other settlements in order to destroy them, then today there are no aggressive actions. Vandalism rather has the character of senselessness and irresponsibility of a person, lack of moral values ​​and respect for the social order.

According to E. Evmenova, the following types of vandalism are distinguished:

1. Ideological.
2. Desecration of graves.
3. Selfish.
4. Electronic computing vandalism.
5. Damage to small architectural structures, such as lawns.
6. Vandalism of sports and music fans.
7. Ecological.
8. Destruction of monuments and cultural structures.

Separately, there are types of vandalism depending on the criminological content:

• Outrageous actions. Often committed by teenagers and persons under 18 years of age. Here there is a desire to assert oneself and show oneself strong in one's team. Teenagers desecrate graves, damage elevators, draw various satanic symbols on the walls, break windows, etc.
• Domestic. It means that a person harms the property of another person with whom he is in a quarrel.
• Criminal. Vandalism is committed in order to conceal another, more serious crime, to conceal evidence.
• Terrorist.
• Ideological. vandalism in this case committed against some idea, for example, against the memory of those who died in World War II.
• State bureaucrat.

Special attention is paid to cemetery vandalism, when people, often teenagers, destroy tombstones, trample on flowers and other plantings around the graves, tear them apart and even rob the dead. What is the reason for such behavior of people?

Experts pay attention to what a cemetery is for every living person. This is the place where you found your last resort deceased relatives. In other words, vandals are trying to devalue and even desecrate any kindred values, the memory of ancestors and everything connected with it.

Undoubtedly, the criminal code also contains articles on exactly how people who vandalize a cemetery are punished. The first step is to prove that a particular person has committed an illegal act, and then punish him under the article in accordance with which he committed the criminal act.

Outcome

Vandalism modern man- it is rather irresponsible, aggressive and childish behavior, which has rather superficial and insignificant motives. A person is simply guided by his emotions, which tell him that other people are to blame for his troubles and misfortunes.

If earlier people who wanted to win and take away their property, which would then feed them, became vandals, today vandalism is becoming a way of emotional relaxation and even moral satisfaction. This suggests that people lack human values. They are driven by their selfish desires and grievances.

The vandalism of modern man can be stopped if preventive work is carried out, which begins with early age in the family where the child is raised. Parents should instill in him moral values ​​​​and respect for everything that surrounds him. It is necessary to instill the value of the culture and history that led a person to the life that he lives now. If you value what a person has, then he will not have the desire to spoil property. After all, someday he will also grow up and give birth to his children, whom he will raise in the world in which he lives. And what will a person show his children - painted walls and the absence of any cultural beauty, since he himself destroyed everything?

As a punishment for desecration of the bodies of the dead, as well as damage to their burial sites and cemetery buildings, part 1 of article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, a large fine is provided, compulsory work up to 360 hours, arrest for up to 3 months or corrective labor for a period up to 1 year .

Cemetery vandalism

Experts are ambivalent about people's desire to paint on public property. Some perceive street art as a person's desire to show their artistic skills which cannot be expressed in any other way. Others believe that in this way "vandals" try to become part of society, while themselves being often ignored.

Vandals desecrated the Red Cemetery in St. Petersburg

The case of vandalism occurred at the Red Cemetery in the Kirovsky district of St. Petersburg. This was discovered by a local worker on January 26th. He made a daily inspection of the cemetery and noticed that several tombstones were defiled. A fifty-eight-year-old employee went to the police. Probably, the desecration of the graves took place the day before, on January 25th.

Criminal liability for vandalism - article 214 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

Vandalism as a crime did not exist in Russia's criminal law until 1997, when liability for damage to property in public places was introduced by amendments to the code. According to statistics, more than 4,000 cases of crimes under Art. 214 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It should be noted that such figures are given without taking into account unsolved and unreported incidents, which are approximately the same. Some experts are of the opinion that a rather high percentage of latent crime in this area is associated with the difficulty of determining the signs of a crime that is so similar to other acts.

Forgotten churchyard

Both incidents happened in April, with a difference of just a few days. First, the vandals desecrated the Gromovskoye Old Believer cemetery in the Moskovsky district: they set fire to wreaths and crosses, and destroyed gravestones. In total, according to an employee of the necropolis, six tombstones were damaged. No sooner had the law enforcement officers started checking, when the next alarm signal arrived. A group of young people destroyed more than 30 monuments at the Smolensk cemetery, and after inspection it turned out that half of them were completely lost. Eight vandals (including minors and visitors) were detained almost immediately, the case was taken to court.

Cemetery vandalism

In the village of Pshekhskaya, Belorechensky district Krasnodar Territory an act is being prepared vandalism but. According to the deputy head of the district M.R. Verdiyev, on February 15 at 11 am they are going to open mass graves soldiers who died in the Civil, Great Patriotic war. The graves are included in the state register, but for several years now they have been.

Tomb Crushers

W ametim, the current law "On burial and funeral business" does not spell out the status of cemeteries as especially important objects, our common property. “Burial places may be objects of cultural and historical significance,” the law carefully stipulates, but the word “may” is not a synonym for the word “should.” In addition, in this normative act there is not a word about the maintenance of the graves and their protection.

Vandals damaged about fifty private graves at a cemetery in St. Petersburg

An act of mass vandalism took place at the Kazan cemetery in St. Petersburg. About 50 tombstones were damaged by unknown people. As a result of the incident, law enforcement authorities initiated a criminal case on the fact of vandalism. According to law enforcement officers, criminals face a fine of 40 thousand rubles or forced corrective labor for a period of 360 hours to one year. Also, criminals can be sentenced to imprisonment for up to three months.

An unprecedented act of vandalism was committed at the Svobodny cemetery

About a hundred tombstones of expensive black and white marble, split, turned out of the ground, on some family graves, the monuments were completely destroyed - that's all! It seemed that the non-humans were walking in a strip, sweeping away everything in their path. It was clear that this was a planned action, since a handful of drug addicts could not destroy such a large number of monuments. Even ancient iron obelisks were toppled along with blocks of frozen earth, as if from an explosion, and there were already the first visitors who came to clean up the graves and experienced a real shock.

Vandals staged a pogrom at a cemetery in St. Petersburg: photo

Vandals damaged more than 30 tombstones at a cemetery in St. Petersburg. ... The report says that on Friday, January 26, an employee of the cemetery, which is located in the Kirovsky district, contacted the police. On the eve of the vandals brutally abused the graves at the "Red" cemetery in the Kirovsky district of St. Petersburg. As Channel Five previously reported, as a result of the incident, thirty-two tombstones on the graves were broken.

Russian Orthodox Church

On the night of September 1, dozens of graves were desecrated at the city cemetery of Khabarovsk. Inverted crosses, split tombstones, monuments covered with cynical inscriptions and swastikas - such a picture can be seen almost every week in different corners country. Despite the fact that in May the punishment for these crimes was toughened, the vast majority of cemetery vandals avoid it, notes Mikhail Pozdnyaev in an article published on September 5 in the Novye Izvestia newspaper.

Cemetery vandalism

Bombing is also considered a type of graffiti and is the use of fairly simple fonts or, less often, characters, when drawing or signing on surfaces, usually consisting of one color used for filling and another for outline.

Vandalism in Riga cemeteries: why the dead are disturbed

In 2015, the police of the Kurzeme district of Riga detained a group of young people who were digging up graves at the Lachupes cemetery. According to law enforcement officers, vandals opened the burial places of the Old Believers who died in the period from 1940 to 1941. The attackers took the skulls of the dead from the graves and performed rituals to summon spirits with their help.

Dozens of monuments destroyed in cemeteries: vandalism, not a ritual

First in in social networks, then information appeared in the newspapers: vandals in cemeteries broke 66 monuments in three days. According to Arguments and Facts on the Ob, the head of the consumer market department of the Novosibirsk City Hall, Vitaly Vitukhin, suggested that these could be ritual actions. Police officers went to Kleshchikha with a check.

On the this moment in St. Petersburg there are 73 cemeteries, where plots with military burials are located (these are 46 plots as part of cemeteries and 27 separate memorials). From time to time in the territory of these memorable places(and in the city cemeteries in general) there are acts of vandalism. For example, only this year two serious cases were recorded in the northern capital: one occurred at the Gromovskoye cemetery, the second at the Smolensk Orthodox one. At the same time, on the last one, vandals desecrated 39 graves at once, after the "raid" 14 tomb structures cannot be restored. According to experts, there are several reasons for hooliganism.

All peoples of the world honor the memory of the deceased relatives and relatives. Graves for each person are a place of worship and memory. Relatives and friends come here, lay flowers and wreaths, carefully look after the burial place, bring their children and talk about their ancestors. Any religion considers encroachment on graves, crosses and monuments sacrilege. All civilized countries protect the rest of the dead by law. In Russia, burial places are also protected by law. However, it is not possible to stop the cemetery vandalism.

Why are graves defiled?

Problems with cemetery vandalism and desecration of graves are associated with education, the loss of moral values. Sometimes this is done by people who are heavily intoxicated, or drug addicts who have lost their human appearance. Having fun destroying crosses and tombstones, hooligans are trying to throw out hatred for the foundations and traditions of decent people.

Sometimes teenagers do this. Often they cannot even explain their actions. Breaking and destroying monuments and crosses, they do not even think about the fact that one day they themselves can come to the grave of their parents and see a picture that is terrifying for any person - the desecration of the saint himself. Adolescents often don't think about the pain their actions bring to people. Here, of course, parents are to blame for not teaching their children to respect the past.

It is much more terrible when such actions are committed consciously. For example, when defilement occurs because of national or tribal hatred. It is hard to believe that in our age, when civilization has reached global heights by creating a mini-copy of the universe - an android collider, someone is trying to divide people by faith, skin color or place of birth. It's a shame when tombstones and monuments to those who died during the Second World War are desecrated. What hatred drives the vandals who paint the swastika? What can the black sign of slaughter mean for our generation, which lost millions of grandparents in that war?

Graves are often desecrated for religious reasons. The tombstones of Jews, Orthodox Christians or Muslims are being destroyed. No religion encourages such actions. On the contrary, if you look at the cemeteries of Moscow and the Moscow region, you can see how Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites have been side by side for centuries. Not a single decent person, passing by the family graves of a different faith, will allow himself to smile, speak rudely, or in any way hurt someone else's burial. Moreover, no matter who is buried, any of us will sympathize with the bitter tears of relatives, without asking what nationality or faith the deceased belonged to.

Unfortunately, the split that occurred at the top of society in past years, the intolerance of the authorities towards shrines and their destruction during the years of Soviet power left its dirty mark on the future. Yet long years we will fight people who do not want to honor the graves of our parents. To eradicate evil, every family needs to raise their children in a new faith - a faith where there is no place for prejudice, anger and hatred.

Punishment for vandalism

Until 1996, in Russia, desecration and destruction of graves were classified as hooligan. Due to the large number of crimes, they were singled out in a separate group. In the Criminal Code, vandalism (Article 214 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) is actions of a hidden nature that desecrate structures, buildings or damage property with any underlying reason - political, ideological or otherwise. Criminals whose guilt is proven can be convicted for their deeds, starting at the age of 14. The term of criminal punishment is up to three years in prison.

The main feature of vandalism is a crime against moral standards. In addition to this crime, they can be convicted for hooligan actions at a cemetery (in the presence of witnesses), desecration of graves, deliberate destruction of cultural monuments, damage or complete destruction of property.

Last week, the information space of Crimea was agitated by the news about another one committed at a Muslim cemetery in the Leninsky district. 15 tombstones were damaged by unknown people. The next day, the authorities quickly reported on the capture of the villains and, it seems, everyone calmed down. As they say, it's covered. But did everything go as smoothly as officials are trying to present?

So, it all started with the fact that the local Crimean Tatars, having learned about the incident, turned to the police and reported the incident to the village leadership. The information, supported by photographs of broken tombstones, spread through social networks in a matter of hours, causing outrage on the peninsula as a whole. Realizing that the case could gain considerable momentum, the deputy head of the administration of Kerch immediately announced that the perpetrators had been found and would be punished. Moreover, he did it the morning after the incident, that is, less than a day later. Even with a strong desire, I can hardly imagine how the police are looking for shameless vandals all night. And if you remember what last years in numerous similar cases the criminals were never found, and in general they were not looked for, then the story becomes even more fantastic. But now is not about that.

The deputy head clarified that the vandals were minors who abused the monuments for fun. A source close to the investigation of the case reported the age of the guys, the oldest of which is only 13 years old, the youngest is 9.

To understand the whole picture of what happened, it must be emphasized that 15 fairly large and very heavy tombstones were literally broken, and some of them were destroyed to such an extent that there was no question of any restoration. A quite logical question arises: how could these children knock down, or even uproot, almost with their “roots” granite and marble slabs, the average weight of which is 100 kilograms?

At the same time, parents of juvenile hooligans in local circles say that their children have nothing to do with what happened. I don’t know what they themselves or their children did wrong, but they are afraid to declare it publicly.

But be that as it may, one thing is clear: the captured children cannot destroy the tombstones. And who was instead of them or together with them is not so important. What is important now is that the version of some Crimeans about the provocative component of what happened does not look so unfounded. It is quite possible that the purpose of such antics is to push the Crimean Tatars to take some actions against the alleged criminals. Or to encourage radical religious groups to retaliate against Christian shrines. By the way, I can’t remember when was the last time it was reported and whether it was reported at all about desecration of Christian places of worship or graves in Crimea.

And while many considered the incident with the broken tombstones settled and safely forgotten about it, I would like to pay attention to the context that accompanied the actions of the vandals. If we ignore the specific case with the cemetery and recall other acts of vandalism, one way or another committed against the Crimean Tatars, then we can trace a very clear negative trend.

Let's take the recent incident with the mosque in Karasubazar (Belogorsk), built at the expense of the well-known philanthropist Resul Velilyaev. Its fence was painted with swastikas, and the snow-white walls of the building itself were doused with black paint. All this was preceded by the detention of Velilyaev and sending him to the Moscow pre-trial detention center Lefortovo, allegedly for expired products in the store of his distribution network. Then the news received a wide response, including outside the Crimea, because Resul Velilyaev is known as a philanthropist who did a lot for the residents of Karasubazar (Belogorsk).

Or the numerous cases of heinous robberies and arson of mosques over the past few years, which took place on the eve or during the holy Muslim holidays, when the Crimean Tatars again become the subject of the agenda in the information field.

And what preceded the vandalism at the cemetery in Yedi-Kyuyu (Lenino)? Literally a week before the incident, the OSCE supported Ukraine’s resolution on Crimea, which refers to “violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms” on the peninsula and Special attention given specifically to the Crimean Tatars.

It turns out that almost all the outrages follow the big information bursts related to the Crimean Tatars and their life on the peninsula. As soon as the world community is reminded of a small but spiritually strong people and of the problems that they face in their native land, responses are not long in coming. The indigenous people are once again shown who sets the rules of the game.

How to deal with it is everyone's choice. But everyone should understand and realize what is hidden between the lines. After all, this, in particular, determines the direction of development and further behavior of the Crimean Tatars in modern conditions.