According to the investigation, on the night of 21 to 22 January 2022, Maksim and Daniil Murashkin tore down the state flag outside a shop in Brest: Daniil lifted him up, and Maksim pulled the flag down, breaking the flagpole. They did not damage the flag itself but took it to Maksim's home. On 23 January, Maksim was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center.
In April 2022, Maksim was found guilty in a criminal case opened under the article "Desecration of state symbols" and sentenced to arrest. At the trial, both defendants denied any prior conspiracy.
According to human rights defenders' calculations, he was released in April 2022 after serving his full sentence.
