The investigation into the distribution of leaflets has been completed

The investigative authorities of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation did not find any signs of inciting ethnic hatred in the distribution of leaflets, the content of which some residents of Perm considered extremist. Let us remind you that the text of the leaflets contained an appeal to all Jews and representatives of other nationalities to gather at the PERMM museum with a supply of food and valuables. This decision was made based on the results of a linguistic examination.

The Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Leninsky District of Perm issued a decision to refuse to initiate a criminal case regarding the distribution of leaflets calling on all Jews to come to the PERMM Museum for the exhibition “Russia for All.” As Kommersant was told by law enforcement agencies, during the pre-investigation check, a linguistic examination of the text posted on the leaflets was carried out. Experts came to the conclusion that the text does not contain calls to incite ethnic hatred. Based on this, a decision was made to refuse to initiate a case due to the lack of corpus delicti.

Let us remind you that leaflets were posted in the center of Perm on June 29. On pink paper with the emblem of a black eagle, similar to the image of an eagle, which was the coat of arms of the NSDAP, an appeal to all Jews of Perm and national diasporas. According to the text, they were invited to gather in the premises of the PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art on the opening day of the exhibition “Russia for All”. “Take food for two days, gold and valuables with you. Attendance is mandatory,” the message said. Under the leaflet was the signature “commandant of the commandant’s office.”

The appearance of the leaflets caused indignation among representatives of the Jewish religious society of Perm. Its chairman, Efim Burshtein, called the appearance of these leaflets “a disgrace” and wrote a statement to law enforcement agencies asking for a legal assessment of the actions of the authors and distributors of the leaflets. The search for them was carried out by the FSB, the anti-extremism units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. As part of the pre-investigation investigation, investigators talked with Andrei Denisenko, the editor of the newspaper “VKurse”, who posted a photo of the leaflet, as well as photographer Maxim Kimerling, who took this photo.

However, from the very beginning, law enforcement officers assessed the likelihood of initiating a criminal case rather skeptically. Thus, the head of the regional Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee Marina Zabbarova noted that experts are unlikely to recognize the text of the leaflet as extremist. Sources familiar with the situation explained that the text of the leaflet does not contain calls for destruction or the use of physical violence against Jews and representatives of national diasporas, as well as degrading phrases. As for the eagle, in their opinion, it can hardly be attributed to fascist symbols. “The eagle on the NSDAP coat of arms has its head turned in the other direction,” says Kommersant’s interlocutor, “in addition, many states and organizations use the eagle as a coat of arms or emblem. So the emblem of the Armani brand can be recognized as a Nazi symbol.”

Yesterday Efim Burshtein explained that he did not hope to initiate a criminal case. “Nevertheless, it would be good if the authors of these leaflets were identified and brought to at least administrative liability, or issued a warning about the inadmissibility of such actions,” says Mr. Burshtein. At the same time, Kommersant’s interlocutor believes that the media should not have published images of these leaflets, as this gave their appearance an even greater public resonance. “Several people would have seen her on the pole,” says Efim Burshtein, “but thanks to the media there were several thousand of them.”

Meanwhile, sources note that the Lenin Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee has begun a pre-investigation check into the appearance of a new batch of leaflets. It depicts a Nazi eagle with a swastika, under which there is a text calling for people to come to the “Russia for All” exhibition. Meanwhile, Kommersant’s interlocutors do not see any prospects for initiating a criminal case. However, they note that the refusal to initiate a criminal case does not mean that the operational services will stop searching for the authors and distributors of the leaflets.

Maxim Strugov, Konstantin Sterledev

No extremism was found in the invitation