Russian teenager given 5 days behind bars for placing pizza order as Adolf Hitler

An 18-year-old student who was arrested in the city of Nizhny Tagil in the Russian Urals for ordering a pizza under the name Adolf Hitler has been court ordered to spend five days in custody, the Sverdlovsk region’s courts’ press office announced on Thursday.

Timofey Vakhonin, who now faces possible expulsion from the construction college where he studies, was charged with “propagating Nazi symbols” after allegedly placing an order at a local restaurant using the erstwhile German dictator’s name, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.

According to the regional Interior Ministry, Vakhonin was detained on his college premises shortly after the stunt. “He immediately expressed remorse for his actions, barely holding back his tears, and apologised to everyone whose feelings had been hurt by his behaviour,” the ministry statement said.

Vakhonin, who pleaded guilty to the charge, was also forced to apologise for his behaviour on camera. During their investigation, the police also found that Vakhonin had drawn “prohibited symbols” on his desk, which he had photographed and shared in an online chat forum, according to the courts’ press service.

Alexey Svalov, who represents the ruling United Russia party in the Sverdlovsk region’s legislative assembly, reported the incident to the police.

“All this happened in front of my friend — a veteran of the special military operation,” Svalov wrote on his Telegram channel. “I don’t know how he managed to stop himself from smashing his face into the table, but I believe this is a very clear-cut case.”

“Not only did he introduce himself as the leader of the Third Reich when ordering a pizza at the shopping centre, but he also displayed a swastika online and at his place of study,” the ministry statement added.