A group of extreme roofers has been treated to the trip of a lifetime after hitching a ride on the iconic battleship Aurora down St. Petersburg's Neva River.
The plucky four, all members of a group called the Elusive Bunnies, managed to board the historical ship under cover of nightfall, taking a rubber dinghy to the vessel and clambering on board, one of the men told the LifeNews tabloid on Monday.
The ship — which famously fired the starting shots of the 1917 Revolution — was heavily guarded as it was due Sunday to be towed to a nearby shipyard for repair work, but the men managed to move unnoticed to a turret, where they stayed overnight covered by blankets.
As day broke, the cruiser was pulled from the moorings it has occupied since 1987 and a tug began leading it down the Neva River, which was lined by a cheering crowd.
See the Photo Gallery: Russia's Iconic Aurora Cruiser Towed for Repairs
A video filmed by the roofers and uploaded to YouTube captured the moment the boat passed under the raised Troitsky, or Trinity, Bridge, with landmarks such as the Field of Mars, the spires of the Church on Spilled Blood, and the Hermitage museum all visible within screen-shot.
The group's luck soon ran out however, when they were spotted by crew members and ordered down by the captain. They continued the rest of their journey in the ship's cabin drinking tea with the crew, but were handed over to transport police when they docked in Kronstadt, LifeNews reported.
Three of the group — dressed up as rabbits — were subsequently arrested and now face administrative punishment.
The remaining 'bunny' managed to escape, the report said.
This is not the first time the extreme-roofing group has attempted to board a ship of significant standing.
The Elusive Bunnies earlier tried to board the "Tre Kronor" brig during the Aliye Parusa, or Scarlet Sails, festival that takes place every year in St. Petersburg, but were apprehended by guards.
Watch an edited version of the video here:
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