Russia’s Internal Affairs Ministry investigates actress Liya Akhedzhakova for ‘discrediting’ Russian army
Russia’s Internal Affairs Ministry has started to investigate Liya Akhedzhakova, the 85-year-old state-honored actress known as an icon of Soviet and Russian cinema, for “discrediting” the Russian army, reports state news media TASS with reference to a source in law enforcement.
The reason for the investigation was a complaint by Vitaly Borodin, head of the Federal Project for Security and Anti-Corruption. He said that a video posted to social media showed Akhedzhakova onstage in the city of Bremen holding a Ukrainian flag after the play “My Grandson Benjamin.” According to Borodin, Akhedzhakova’s actions “discredited Russia, where she remains a citizen.”
Akhedzhakova told online news outlet Gazeta.Ru that an audience member handed her the Ukrainian flag:
Some kind of provocateur handed me flowers, and then he slipped me this flag. This was in the city of Bremen, at the curtain call, when people were showering me in flowers, and [there was a flag] in one of the bouquets. At first, I thought that it was a scarf. This provocateur did it on purpose. We still haven’t been able to find this person.