From Sunbathing to Boiling Water... The Ordeal of Russia's Symbol of Patriotism

▲A man is lying down and sunbathing on the Eternal Flame, a symbol of Russian patriotism (Source = YouTube capture)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The "Unextinguishable Flame (Eternal Flame)," a symbol of patriotism established across Russia to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives for the country, has recently faced a series of humiliations.

The Unextinguishable Flame is a symbol of patriotism installed in cities to honor soldiers who sacrificed themselves to protect the nation, including during World War II, and it burns continuously throughout the year.

According to local media such as RIA Novosti on the 8th, a video showing a man sunbathing inside the Unextinguishable Flame memorial facility in Arsie, Primorsky Krai, was posted on local social networking services (SNS), sparking controversy.

In the video, the man is lying down inside the Unextinguishable Flame facility, stretching his body and sunbathing.

Russian netizens who saw this criticized the man's behavior as inappropriate, generating public backlash against him.

As the controversy grew, the Primorsky Krai branch of the Russian Federal Investigative Committee, which investigates serious crimes, reportedly began an investigation to identify the man in the video.

This is not the first time the Unextinguishable Flame has been desecrated. On the 30th of last month, two teenagers in Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, poured water on the Unextinguishable Flame to extinguish it. Around the same time, in Moscow Oblast, there was also an incident where water was boiled on the flame, provoking outrage among netizens.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.