A 43-year-old prisoner in Primorsky Krai is facing trial for displaying a Nazi swastika tattoo on his forearm, Russian investigators said.
The regional management of the Investigative Committee of Russia reported that the inmate had failed to remove the symbol from his right arm while serving a sentence at Correctional Colony No. 31 in the Russian Far East.
According to state investigators, the man kept the swastika tattoo hidden beneath his everyday clothing but regularly boasted about the design, showing it off to his acquaintances inside the penal facility. When the violation was uncovered, prosecutors initiated a new criminal investigation against him for the public demonstration of prohibited Nazi symbols.
Law enforcement authorities confirmed that the investigation has gathered a sufficient body of evidence to support the charges. The formal indictment has been approved by prosecutors, and the case has now been forwarded to the local court for consideration on its merits.
Regional enforcement and prison oversight
The Investigative Committee of Russia, often known as Sledkom, is the federal body responsible for preliminary criminal investigations across the country. It handles major crimes, including offenses committed inside penal colonies.
Correctional Colony No. 31 is located in Primorsky Krai, a region in the Russian Far East also known as Primorye. In Russia, correctional colonies form the core of the state prison system, housing sentenced prisoners across various security regimes. Positioned along the Pacific coast, the territory shares land borders with China and North Korea, with Vladivostok serving as its regional administrative centre.
Ban on extremist symbols
Russian criminal law strictly prohibits the public display or demonstration of Nazi symbols, swastikas, and related extremist emblems. Showing banned insignia to other inmates inside a prison colony is legally treated as a public demonstration, making convicted individuals liable for additional criminal charges that can add time to their existing sentences.
The legal action in Primorye follows similar criminal proceedings elsewhere in the Far Eastern Federal District. Authorities previously reported that a man in Blagoveshchensk, the administrative centre of the neighbouring Amur Oblast located along the Amur River, would also stand trial for demonstrating prohibited tattoos.
