A 15-year-old teenager has pleaded guilty to arson after the Dormition Church of Kondopoga, which was located in northern Russia just north of Finland and was one of the country's tallest historical wooden buildings, was burned down last week, a source in law enforcement told Sputnik on Monday.
PETROZAVODSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2018) A 15-year-old teenager has pleaded guilty to arson after the Dormition Church of Kondopoga, which was located in northern Russia just north of Finland and was one of the country's tallest historical wooden buildings, was burned down last week, a source in law enforcement told Sputnik on Monday.
On August 10, the iconic church was completely burned down. A firefighter was injured while extinguishing the fire. It was later determined that the fire was arson, and prosecutors initiated a criminal case over the destruction of a cultural heritage site. A 15-year-old was detained, who, according to the investigation, was staying with his grandmother near the church in Kondopoga and set the Dormition Church on fire. The Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper said, citing local residents, that the teenager allegedly identified himself as a Satanist and started the blaze deliberately.
"Yes, he pleaded guilty, and is now being detained for 30 days," the source said.
Earlier in the day, media reported that the teenager was placed in a temporary detention center for juvenile offenders run by the Interior Ministry of Karelia. A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation will be conducted to determine the boy's sanity.
The Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God was located on the territory of the former village of Kondopoga, which laid the foundation of the city of Kondopoga, on a small rock that extends into the Chupa Bay of Lake Onega. The church was built in 1774 during the decline of Russian northern wooden architecture in memory of peasants killed during the 1769-1771 Kizhi uprising. At 42 meters (138 feet) tall, it was one of Russia's tallest wooden churches.
