Pictures | The facade of the Russian consulate in New York was vandalized

Police said, on Friday, that the facade of the Russian Consulate in New York was vandalized with red paint, in what appears to be a gesture of protest against Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

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At midday Friday, large spots and streaks of red paint covered several feet in height and width of the facade of the Consulate, a Renaissance-style building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, an AFP photographer noted.

The entrance gate was also covered with red paint.

France Press agency

A New York Police Department spokesman told AFP that police were alerted around 1:30 a.m.

“There were no arrests and the investigation is underway,” the official added, adding that the incident was considered “possibly motivated by hostility.”

France Press agency

This act of sabotage comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin formalized the annexation of four Ukrainian regions on Friday, after referendums denounced by many countries as a fictitious election, led by the United States.

France Press agency

On Friday, a particularly deadly missile strike killed at least 30 civilians in a Ukrainian-controlled area near Zaporizhia (southern Ukraine).

Rosie Morse, a retiree who lives in the neighborhood, saw an analogy with “contemporary art,” while ruling that the purpose of this work was “to show our feelings for Putin, and I can’t say I don’t,” she wouldn’t agree.

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France Press agency

Bystander Romain Paulin said he saw it as “an expression of how people in New York perceive Putin is killing people.”