Russian Woman, Boyfriend Sentenced To 10 Months In Prison For Simulating Oral Sex Outside Church

Following the fall of the Soviet Union and the disastrous reign of Boris Yeltsen, President Vladimir Putin has sought to restore Russian national pride in a number of ways, including elevating the Russian Orthodox Church to its pre-Soviet glory. This veneration has at the times taken the form of legal crackdowns: the Russians stamped out non-orthodox Christian groups like the Jehovas Witnesses. And when the members of feminist group Pussy Riot staged their “punk prayer” at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, they were arrested and sentenced to sentences as long as 7 years in a brutal Russian prison.

But in the latest example of how Russian authorities handle any gesture of disrespect toward the Russian orthodox church, a Tajik man and his Russian girlfriend were sentenced to 10 months behind bars after a raunchy photoshoot in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral – one of the country’s most sacred religious monuments – which featured the Russian woman simulating oral sex to her boyfriend from a very suggestive angle.

Here’s more from RT:

Ruslan Bobiev (whose real name is Ruslani Murojonzod) and Asya Akimova (Anastasia Chistova) published photos on social media taken by the iconic Red Square cathedral. The most controversial snap saw Akimova on her knees, simulating oral sex while wearing a police jacket.

The photo, shown below, was taken from the Telegram app:

The lovers were later arrested and accused of breaking a law that seeks to punish those who commit actions “with the purpose of insulting the religious feelings of believers.”

The 10-month sentence is exactly the length of time requested by the Russian prosecutors.

Bobiev and Akimova are the first to receive time behind bars under this law, with all those previously convicted being given a fine or suspended sentence.

Bobiev’s isn’t the only high-profile case of attractive women using their bodies to disrespect Orthodox Churches in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a video showing a Russian OnlyFans star went viral after she was filmed flashing her breasts near the exact same church.

The model, known as Lola Bunny, later apologized in response to an outpouring of online outrage and anger. She still faces the prospect of prosecution.

The law against insulting believers was passed back in 2013 following the “Pussy Riot” incident. The law made headlines again in 2016 when a Russian YouTuber was caught playing Pokemon Go in a church.