The number of arrests of people photographing graves, especially those of Russian soldiers, has increased in Russia. Information about these actions was published by Mediazona editor, Dmitri Treshanin. The journalist reported that law enforcement forced residents from several regions to apologize on camera for such actions.
Treșanin asserts that recently, unknown individuals have allegedly started offering money on behalf of Mediazona for photographs of the graves of Russians killed in war. The journalist claims that the fraudsters would be interested in this information, as they have tried several times to acquire unpublished databases from his media company.
The editor believes that images are also used to extract money from the relatives of the deceased, but has not released more information about the scheme, reports Meduza. According to him, however, if the FSB finds such information or images on a citizen’s phone, it could accuse him of treason and ties with the Ukrainian special services.
Last week, a Russian from the Yaroslavl region was also accused of such actions. Prosecutors claim that since October 2024, he would have systematically photographed and filmed the graves of soldiers. Similar cases have also been recorded in the Tomsk region.
Mediazona, together with the Russian edition of the BBC, is collecting information about the number of Russians killed in the war. Previously, journalists asked volunteers to send photos of new graves from Russian cemeteries, but due to recent detentions, they strongly advised them not to do so anymore.