A Communist Party lawmaker has lashed out at the "misuse" of Russian state symbols, criticizing those who use the national anthem as a ringtone on their mobile phones, a news report said.
"The Russian national anthem is one of the patriotic symbols of our state and is meant to represent our country and shape the population's patriotic upbringing. In my opinion, it is not right when the anthem is commercialized," Vadim Solovyev was cited as saying by Russian News Service on Wednesday.
Solovyev, who is also a member of the State Duma's Constitution and State Affairs Committee, did not rule out drafting a bill to regulate the use of state symbols and stipulate penalties in the event of abuse, the report said.
