Zambian Student Is Arrested in Russia for ‘Nazism’ After Twerking in Front of a War Memorial

Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation against a student from Zambia for dancing in front of a war memorial.

The woman, identified by local media as Rebecca Ziba, 21, posted a clip of herself ‘shaking a**’ next to the Memorial of Glory in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk.

She is now suspected of committing a crime under Part 4 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation which ‘provides for the responsibility for the rehabilitation of Nazism’.

While the original Instagram post seems to have been taken down, a clip on Twitter suggests that it was captioned: ‘Shaking a** for the dead, (I’m) sure they are sleeping (well) tonight.’

Ms Ziba, who appeared to be twerking in the post, was detained and has profusely apologised to Russian authorities.

In a video shared by the Russian Investigative Committee for Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, she said: ‘I want to apologise to everyone for the video that I posted on April 16.

‘I posted…without knowledge of what it actually meant and knowing who it’s going to hurt or upset.

‘I posted a video of me dancing on a monument and I did not mean to be…the video that I posted, I didn’t intend for it to be offensive.

Ms Ziba added that she ‘didn’t mean to offend anyone or to be disreseptful to ‘those people that died’.

‘And I because I did not know exactly what it meant and I never thought it would be this big,’ she said.

‘I’m very very very sorry to everyone. I didn’t know. And if I knew, I was never going to post it. I hope I’m understood and forgiven.’

Ms Ziba faces up to three years in a jail and a fine of up to 3 million rubles (£28,888) if she is found guilty, Euronews reports.

A statement from officials said: ‘The Khanty-Mansiysk Interdistrict Investigation Department of the Investigation Department of the Russian Investigative Committee for Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra initiated a criminal case against a 21-year-old citizen of a foreign state.

‘She is suspected of committing a crime under Part 4 of Art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (desecration of the symbol of military glory of Russia).

‘According to the investigation, on April 16, 2022, the suspect, while in the Victory Park of the city of Khanty-Mansiysk at the Memorial of Glory to the soldiers of the district who died during the Great Patriotic War, performed an obscene dance against the backdrop of the Eternal Flame, a video of which she posted on her page in one of the social networks, accompanied by an offensive inscription.

‘The day before, the suspect was detained with the participation of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, and interrogated by the investigator on the circumstances of the incident, during the interrogation she repented and apologized for her actions.

‘A complex of investigative actions aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident is being carried out in the criminal case. The investigation is ongoing.’

The conditions Ms Ziba is being detained in are not clear. MailOnline has reached out to the Zambian Embassy in Moscow for more information.