Russian cafe manager faces legal peril for expelling unruly veteran
1:36 PM EST, February 29, 2024
A Russian woman faced grave consequences for asking a misbehaving "Russian war hero" to leave her cafe.
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Alona Polakievich found herself in a difficult situation following an incident with a war veteran, causing trouble in her cafe. She shared the details of the incident on her social media profile, leading to an unexpected turn of events.
Ms. Polakievich is the manager of a Strong Coffee outlet, a well-known Russian chain, situated in Lyubertsy, a small town near Moscow. The incident occurred when she had not yet arrived at work that day.
The account of the Russian woman
The cafe's staff first dealt with the disruptive veteran. A server politely asked the intruder to leave, which only escalated the situation. It was at this point that Ms. Polakievich entered the cafe.
She handled the situation decisively. "I arrived and resolved the matter within two minutes. Without raising my voice, cursing, or resorting to any other measures, I simply asked him to exit the premises," she recounted on Telegram.
Cafe manager in Russia expelled a soldier and now faces severe consequences
The aftermath was harrowing. According to interia.pl, an inquiry into her actions was launched. She was charged with insulting a soldier of the Russian Federation Army and discrediting the Russian military.
Upon reviewing Ms. Polakievich's social media activities, it was discovered that she does not endorse the deployment of Russian troops in Ukraine. She was then brought to justice.
As reported by the portal, the court imposed a 45,000 rubles fine (about $690) on her for "public actions aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation." However, the ordeal didn't stop there.
A group of activists supportive of Putin's regime sprang into action. Pro-Kremlin citizens of the town appealed to Alexander Bastrykin, the chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, demanding stringent punishment for Alona Polakievich.
The Moscow regional investigative committee initiated a criminal case under the charge of inciting hatred towards soldiers involved in a special military operation, a provision introduced by Vladimir Putin shortly after the Russian Federation Army's attack on Ukraine. Ms. Polakievich now faces up to seven years in prison.
Source: Telegram/Interia
