A Russian Model facing jail over 'offensive' photo after lifting up dress outside church

Natalia Maslennikova who goes by the online name 'Trikotasha' is in trouble with police after she was photographed in the pose outside a church in the Russian city of Kaluga

The Russian model is facing up to a year in jail for causing 'offence' after she lifted up her dress outside a church.

The young woman, identified as Natalia Maslennikova and who goes by the online name 'Trikotasha', was photographed in the pose outside a church in the Russian city of Kaluga.

Prosecutors confirmed in a statement that they had "approved an indictment against a 26-year-old woman who, through her actions, committed public acts expressing clear disrespect for society and committed in order to offend the religious feelings of believers”.

They said the action came about after the accused, in July of last year, "posted naked photos against the backdrop of the temple” to her Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Natalya Maslennikova is facing jail

She subsequently found herself at the centre of a criminal case, which was sent to the Kaluga District Court.

Prosecutors said Ms Maslennikova could be sentenced to up to a year in jail for the snaps, which were taken outside the Transfiguration Church in Kaluga.

In total, three snaps from the photo session were shared online. However, they were not widely picked up until they were suddenly highlighted by ultra-right-wing and anti-feminist blogger Vladislav Pozdnyakov.

Mr Pozdnyakov is the founder of the Male State group, which is regarded as an extremist organisation in Russia.

The group frequently targets women online, along with businesses and minority groups.

Mr Pozdnyakov was even given a suspended sentence in 2018 for "actions aimed at humiliating human dignity in relation to women".

The conviction was, however, later overturned.

Prosecutors said Ms Maslennikova could be sentenced to up to a year in jail for the snaps

An investigation into Ms Maslennikova’s actions was launched in November.

Around this time, Kaluga Mayor Dmitry Denisov condemned the stunt, but said he was not sure if prosecuting women like Ms Maslennikova was the right way forward, as it risked "getting the legal system bogged down".

He added: "I am sure there is definitely something wrong in their minds and souls. These girls could become caring mothers and loving wives."

Earlier, in January, Maria Katanova, an Instagram personality, apologised for staging an erotic exhibition outside the capital Moscow's best-known Islamic place of worship, Moscow Cathedral Mosque, in which she filmed a woman wearing just a coat, stockings, lingerie, and a balaclava in thick snow near the holy building.

And in October, Ruslan Bobiev, a Tajik blogger, and his Russian girlfriend Asya Akimova were each slapped with a ten-month sentence behind bars for simulating oral sex in a photograph against the backdrop of Moscow's iconic Saint Basil's Cathedral on Red Square.

The pair were the first to receive jail time under the law, with all those previously convicted having been hit with a fine or suspended sentence.