May 27, 2026, 1:39 p.mMay 27, 2026, 1:39 p.m
A court in Moscow has sentenced a young woman to several years in prison after she posted a picture of a hookah (shisha) on a traditional Russian Easter cake on Instagram. She has to spend three years and 25 days in a penal colony, as several media outlets unanimously reported from the courtroom.
As an employee of a shisha bar in Moscow, she presented a guest with his hookah on a kulitsch (Easter cake) in April and published a post about it on Instagram. Afterwards, Russian authorities opened a criminal case on charges of hurting religious sentiments.
Last year, according to the opposition Russian portal “Mediazona,” the woman was sentenced to a three-year suspended sentence for a drug offense.
As part of the new procedure, the court ordered the probation to be converted into a prison sentence. This was only just below the prosecutor’s request of three years and two months’ imprisonment.
The Kulitsch is a traditional Easter pastry in Russia that Orthodox Christians eat together with Easter eggs and a quark dish. It marks the end of Lent on Easter Sunday. Believers often have the kulitsch consecrated by priests even before Easter.
Since 2013, hurting the feelings of believers has been a criminal offense in Russia. The trigger was a performance by the group Pussy Riot in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. (sda/dpa)