Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Sentences Blogging Couple to Prison for X-Rated Cathedral Photo Op

The pair are the first people to receive real prison time under Russia's law that criminalizes “insulting religious feelings.” Ruslan Bobiev / vk.com

A Moscow court has sentenced two bloggers to nearly a year in prison for staging an X-rated photoshoot across from St. Basil’s Cathedral near the Kremlin, the state-run TASS news agency reported Friday.

Ruslan Bobiyev, an internet prankster from ex-Soviet Tajikistan, stirred outrage last month with the photo of himself standing in front of St. Basil’s with his girlfriend Anastasia Chistova simulating oral sex while crouched in front of him in a police uniform.

Authorities placed the couple under arrest for 10 months and fined them 5,000 rubles ($50). The court also ordered to deport Bobiyev to Tajikistan.

Bobiyev and Chistova were later charged with “insulting religious feelings.”

Moscow’s Tverskoy district court on Friday found Bobiyev and Chistova guilty and sentenced them both to 10 months in penal colony each, according to TASS.

They are the first people to receive real prison time for “insulting religious feelings,” with all previous convictions resulting in fines or suspended sentences. 

Prosecutors had requested a 10-month sentence for the couple under the law that imposes a maximum prison term of one year.

The state-run RIA Novosti news agency circulated police footage of Bobiyev, who said he had over 100,000 Instagram followers before his account was blocked, apologizing for the provocative photoshoot.

Bobiyev does not intend to appeal the sentence, RIA Novosti cited his lawyer as saying.

Russia criminalized insulting the feelings of religious believers in 2013 after anti-Kremlin group Pussy Riot's “Punk Prayer” performance at a central Moscow cathedral.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more