Police in the Novosibirsk region of Russia are investigating the repeated destruction of graves in a cemetery located in the Bolotninsky district. Criminal cases have been opened under Article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which addresses the abuse of bodies of the deceased and places of their burial.

A resident of Novosibirsk, identified as Anna, reported that the graves of her relatives in the village of Kozlovka have been vandalized multiple times since May. She estimates that approximately three dozen burials have been damaged in the recent incidents.

According to Anna, the initial incident involved the pulling out and breaking of a cross from her uncle’s grave. Despite the identification of a suspect, the vandalism continued, with two more incidents occurring within the following two months. Among the damaged graves are those of Anna’s grandmother, a child who died at 9 months old, and her grandfather, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, whose marble monument was knocked over.

The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Novosibirsk Region has confirmed that an investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the acts of vandalism. Law enforcement is actively working to gather evidence and bring the perpetrators to justice.

This is not the first incident of cemetery disturbances in the Novosibirsk region recently. At the end of May, a tunnel was discovered near a grave at the Zaeltsovskoye cemetery, initially suspected to be the work of a bear.