A statue of Vladimir Lenin in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk has been vandalized to feature the Bolshevik politician wearing a red face mask and underpants, and proclaiming his love for the Big Apple.
The local branch of the Communist Party reported Monday that one of the city's monument in honor of Lenin had been targeted under the cover of darkness over the weekend and now sported red glasses, red underpants and a blue beard. The iconic Soviet figure's back was also spray-painted with the slogan "I love New York."
The attack comes a month after unknown vandals graffitied a swastika and a "Wolfsangel" symbol — a sign used by Ukrainian neo-Nazis during World War II — onto a Lenin statue outside the Communist Party's Novosibirsk headquarters, a report on the party's website said.
A week later, a different statue of Lenin was painted in Ukraine's blue-and-yellow colors, with vandals writing "Glory to Ukraine" on its pedestal. On the same night, two military vehicles standing on display in the city's Glory Monument Park were spray painted in the same colors.
A criminal case on charges of vandalism was opened into the two incidents, and three men were later detained in connection to the crimes, Russian media reported, citing the regional branch of the Interior Ministry.