The husband of the ex-director of New Holland was detained for comments about the terrorist attack in Crocus

Nikolai Konashenko, the husband of the ex-director of the St. Petersburg public space “New Holland” Roxana Shatunovskaya, Nikolai Konashenko, was detained for comments about the terrorist attack in Crocus.

He previously published two posts on his Facebook. “Why Crocus and not the Kremlin? Confused? - said one of them. After pro-government telegram channels drew attention to Konashenko’s posts, he deleted them and tried to fly to Yerevan.

He failed to do this. Security forces detained him at Pulkovo airport. A video of Konashenka being taken away by men in civilian clothes and balaclavas was published by the St. Petersburg publication Fontanka. Later, security forces distributed a video of Konashenko’s apology.

The St. Petersburg Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the detainee’s posts contained “statements with signs of extremism.” The Rotunda publication notes that a criminal case was opened against Konashenko for justifying terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code). He faces up to seven years in prison.

In turn, Konashenko’s wife Roxana Shatunovskaya, who served as general director of the St. Petersburg public space “New Holland” for 13 years, announced that she was leaving her post.

“By mutual agreement between me and my management, we came to the decision that I can no longer hold my position and perform my duties due to the fact that a member of my family allowed himself monstrous statements incompatible with humanity,” she wrote on her Instagram .

Shatunovskaya added that she “does not support and condemns” what her husband said and with all her heart sympathizes with the victims of the terrorist attack, but “stays with her family.”

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