North Caucasus Man Detained for Barbecue at WWII Eternal Flame

Jan. 29, 2021

“No need for coal,” the man can be heard saying in video footage. Screenshot Baza

A local resident has been detained for cooking a barbecue over an eternal flame monument to fallen World War II soldiers in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, state media reported Friday.

Footage shared by the Baza Telegram channel showed the elderly man crouching over the flames with two slabs of meat attached to a skewer.

“No need for coal,” the unidentified man was heard explaining to eyewitnesses at the Grieving Mother monument in Derbent’s park of military glory.

Officials in the Dagestani city of Derbent announced that the man in the video has been detained to face administrative charges, according to the state-run TASS news agency.

The officials did not disclose the charges.

Russian authorities regularly respond to incidents involving civilians roasting food, filming TikTok dances in front of or simply extinguishing eternal flame monuments in Russian cities.

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