Muscovites have largely defended the teenagers who disrupted the Sretensky Monastery, viewing their actions as minor and undeserving of severe punishment. This follows an incident on July 28 where videos surfaced online showing young men in mini-skirts entering the monastery and allegedly harassing believers.

Many online commenters, primarily readers of MSK1.RU, expressed sympathy for the teenagers. Some argued that the incident was not a serious crime, while others criticized the reaction as an overblown response to a harmless prank.

Ekaterina Mizulina, head of the Safe Internet League, identified the teenagers as transgender and stated that they had apologized to her. She also alleged that one of the individuals was involved in promoting drugs, LGBT content, self-harm, and pornography on social media.

Despite these allegations, public sentiment appears to be largely supportive of the teenagers. Many commenters questioned the severity of their actions, comparing their behavior to that of priests and monks who also wear robe-like garments. One commenter said, “No one was injured, no one’s property was damaged,” while another expressed concern for the teenagers’ future, stating, “They did nothing criminal.”