Bench dedicated to Alexei Navalny set on fire in Helsinki
A bench installed two weeks ago in memory of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was set on fire in Helsinki. The organization behind it plans to file a police report.
A bench installed on June 4 in memory of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was set on fire on Saturday in Helsinki's Neitsytpuisto park. The bench is located near the consular section of the Russian embassy.
Anna-Sofia Karhu, a member of the organization Foredi that installed the bench, told Finnish public broadcaster Yle that she learned about the damage from a Russian Telegram channel. She stated that the organization was prepared for an act of vandalism and had taken it into account when designing the memorial. "Fortunately, the damage is quite easy to repair," she assured, adding that the organization intends to file a police report.
According to the website rulehti.fi, the arson may have been organized by Alexei Moroshkin, a Russian who has received asylum in Finland. A video of the alleged arson was posted on social media.
The bench was installed to coincide with Navalny's birthday. Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition politician, died on February 16, 2024, in a penal colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
