Police in Moscow are investigating a video that shows supposed football fans burning a Quran and attacking Muslims in retribution for recent suicide bombings in Volgograd.
The , uploaded on YouTube on Jan. 5, depicts a group of young men in the dark, burning a Russian translation of the Quran with several lighters.
No faces are visible, but the video claims that the men are fans of prominent Moscow football club CSKA, known, like many other Russian teams, for its contingent of ultra-rightwing supporters.
The video cuts in the end to a shot in a metro car of a man of Central Asian appearance with bruises on his face. He is forced to repeat after people behind the camera: "I renounce Allah."
A criminal investigation team has been set up to find the people responsible for the video, a Moscow police spokesman said Thursday. He did not say which charges the perpetrators face.
Radical Russian nationalists are frequently charged with extremism or fanning religious hatred, charges punishable with up to four and five years behind bars respectively.
The video's uploader goes by the name Oleg Makarov. His Facebook page identifies him as a Muscovite and contains a link to a Wordpress blog dedicated to criticism of the Russian authorities and Muslims.
The video comes with subtitles linking the Quran burning to the string of suicide bombings in the southern city of Volgograd.
Two attacks on successive days in late December killed 34 people at Volgograd's main railway terminal and on a trolleybus. Another six died in October when a woman blew herself up on a commuter bus.
The attacks were blamed on an Islamist insurgency in the neighboring North Caucasus.
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.
Remind me later.
