In pictures | The facade of the Russian Consulate in New York was destroyed

The facade of the Russian consulate in New York was vandalized with red paint, police said Friday, in what appeared to be a gesture of protest against Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

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On Friday afternoon, streaks of red paint several feet high and wide covered the facade of the consulate, a Renaissance-style building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a prominent AFP photographer.

The entrance is also covered in red.

AFP

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

“No arrests have been made and investigation is on,” the official added, adding that the incident was “probably enmity-motivated”.

AFP

The devastating move came as Russian President Vladimir Putin formalized the annexation of four Ukrainian territories on Friday, with the United States leading the charge after referendums many countries denounced as sham elections.

AFP

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

Rosie Morse, a retiree who lives in the neighbourhood, sees similarities with “contemporary art”, disagreeing that the move is meant to “show our feelings towards Putin, I can’t say I don’t do that”.

AFP

“It’s an expression of how people in New York perceive that Putin is killing people,” said spectator Romain Bowlin.