A participant in a dance performed against the backdrop of a cathedral in Rostov-on-Don apologized.
Security officials filed an administrative charge against two sisters, one of whom is a minor, for a video of them dancing in front of a cathedral in Rostov-on-Don. The older sister apologized to the police and admitted her guilt.
Police detained the participants in the video of them dancing in front of a cathedral in Rostov-on-Don. They were identified as two girls, born in 1990 and 2009, according to the Rostov Region Department of Internal Affairs.
The detainees admitted their guilt and were unable to clearly explain their motives. Administrative charges were filed against the participants under Part 2 of Article 5.26 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on "Intentional public desecration of religious or liturgical literature, objects of religious veneration, signs or emblems of ideological symbols and paraphernalia," the statement reads.
A video was attached to the statement on the agency's Telegram channel, in which one of the girls, whose face is blurred, apologizes for the incident.
"I apologize to the residents of Rostov-on-Don, as well as residents of the Rostov region, representatives of the Orthodox Church, and believers for dancing with my underage sister on April 24, 2026, on Cathedral Square against the backdrop of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary," she said.
She admitted her guilt "fully," promising that "this will never happen again."
Short 11-second video A video of two sisters dancing in front of a church was posted on the Telegram channel "Rostov Main" on April 24. Passersby who see the dancing couple also dance to the music in the background.
The administrative offense charged against the girls carries a fine of 30,000 to 50,000 rubles or community service for up to 120 hours.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in March, three young people in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, were charged for a video of them dancing near an Orthodox church. Those involved in the incident apologized to police for their actions.
The Chechen authorities initiated the practice of public apologies, but now security forces and ordinary residents in various regions are resorting to it, noted analysts previously interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot." How the campaign spawned by Ramzan Kadyrov has spread far beyond the Caucasus is described in the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Fashion for Apologies: From Chechnya to the Very Outskirts" and in "Chronicle of Public Apologies in the Caucasus".
The Caucasian Knot posts materials about public apologies on the thematic page "Whom the Caucasus Makes Apologize".