In Helsinki, a memorial bench for Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny*, installed near the Russian embassy in the Ulanlinna district, was set on fire. The Finnish Yle agency reported this on Friday, June 12, citing Anna-Sofia Karhu, a member of the Voridi organization.
According to Karhu, she learned about the damage to the seat from the Russian Telegram channel. The photos show signs of flammable objects being placed between the panels. The organization was prepared for the possibility of vandalism and took this into account when designing the memorial. The damage turned out to be easily repairable – the seat did not burn with an open flame, there was only charring on the boards.
Helsinki police and rescue services said they had not received any calls or reports about the incident. Foredi intends to file a complaint with the police and find out about the possibility of installing video surveillance in the area, she says message.
Former municipal deputy Alexander Zamyatin said that on January 18, a plaque memorial to journalist Anna Politkovskaya was smashed in the capital. Later, the court fined the rioters a thousand rubles.
*He was included in the Russian Federation on the list of terrorists and extremists.