MOSCOW, October 5 - RAPSI. A criminal case under the article on vandalism has been initiated following the desecration of two Orthodox cathedrals in central Moscow, the press service of the Interior Ministry's Moscow main department told RIA Novosti on Friday.

Two orthodox cathedrals were desecrated in the early hours of October 4 in Moscow's central administrative district - the vandals sawed off a cross in front of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Pokrovskoye, and left a blasphemous inscription on the wall of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Rubtsovo.

"A criminal case has been initiated under Article 214 (on vandalism) of the Criminal Code," a member of the press service said.

In 2012 a number of events took place that were directed against the faith and religious feelings of believers. In late February, five young women wearing brightly colored balaclavas stood at the altar of Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and performed a punk rock prayer. Shortly thereafter, an edited video of the performance was uploaded onto the Internet and incited a public outcry.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich were convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to two years in prison on August 17.

The country has seen a number of icons and churches desecrated recently, including the sawing away of Orthodox crosses.

The Russian Orthodox Church has stated that threats to discredit the church are on the increase. Representatives of main religious confessions believe that the increasing frequency of attacks on the Russian Orthodox Church are connected with the growing role of the Church in society.

Experts do not exclude that the attacks on the church and Patriarch Kirill are attempts to undermine the authority of one of the main institutes of Russian society so as to destabilize the situation in the country.