Russian student, 18, jailed for ordering pizza as Adolf Hitler and sharing Nazi symbols online
A Russian student has been sentenced to five days in prison after ordering a pizza under the name “Adolf Hitler”. Police in the Urals city of Nizhny Tagil charged 18-year-old Timofey Vakhonin with “propagating Nazi symbols” following the stunt at a local restaurant. After a swift court appearance, the teenager was remanded into custody and now faces potential expulsion from his college.
“Police officers from the criminal investigation department identified and detained a resident of Nizhny Tagil who, the day before, decided to buy a pizza at the local shopping centre, placing an order under the name, ‘Adolf Hitler,'” said Valery Gorelykh, head of the regional police department’s press service.
Alexey Svalov of the ruling United Russia party in the Sverdlovsk region’s legislative assembly initially reported the incident to the police.
“All this happened in front of my friend, a veteran of the special military operation,” Svalov said, adding: ““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.”
As per the regional Interior Ministry, Vakhonin was detained on his college premises shortly after the stunt. He made no attempt to resist the police and immediately repented his actions, barely holding back tears’.
“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.
Officers from the Center for Combating Extremism were also involved in the investigation, according to a report in Novaya Gazeta Europe.
During their investigation, the authorities also discovered that Vakhonin had drawn “prohibited symbols” on his desk, which he had photographed and shared in an online chat forum. Vakhonin justified his behaviour by claiming he did not understand the meaning of his actions.
