A 31-year-old Russian man was recently convicted to 4.4 years in a penal colony for promising to urinate on a symbol of the Russian military in a comment he posted on social media.

The incident that led to the conviction of 31-year-old Alexander Panasenko occurred in May of 2024, when the Kremerovo native took to social media to taunt Russian authorities. Commenting on a VKontakte post that reminded everyone that the Russian State Duma had voted into law fines and even imprisonment for damaging the St. George ribbon, Panasenko wrote “I bought it, and I’ll piss on it. And I don’t care who gets offended by it.” The comment didn’t sit too well with Kremerovo police, and the offender was quickly arrested and charged with desecrating the symbol of Russia’s military glory. A Kremerovo Regional Court recently sentenced Panasenko to four years and four months in a penal colony and banned him from posting anything on the internet for three years.

Photo: Tim Photoguy/Unsplash

“Taking into account the position of the state prosecutor, the gravity and significance of the crime, the court sentenced Panasenko to real imprisonment for a term of four years and four months in a general regime penal colony, and also deprived him of the right to engage in activities related to the posting of materials on information and telecommunications networks, including the Internet, for three years,”  the Court ruling read.

The St. George Ribbon is a Russian military symbol consisting of a black and orange bicolour pattern, with three black and two orange stripes. It is used as a component of the most important military decorations awarded by the Russian Federation. In December 2022, Russia toughened the punishment for desecrating the St. George Ribbon. According to the law signed by President Vladimir Putin, desecration of the ribbon is punishable by a fine of three to five million rubles or by imprisonment for three to five years.

Panasenko appears to have pulled the short end of the stick, as last year, another offender received only one and a half years in a penal colony for tying the St. George Ribbon around his genitalia and posting a photo of it online.