Protesters on Wednesday scaled a famous Moscow skyscraper and painted the Soviet star on its spire in Ukrainian colors, as a pro-Russian insurgency continues to rattle eastern Ukraine.
A yellow and blue Ukrainian flag was also attached to the top of the 580-foot, Stalin-era structure east of the Kremlin along the Moscow River, Associated Press reported.
Police said they detained four suspects for vandalism, a crime punishable by up to three years in prison, AP reported.
The star with the Soviet hammer and sickle had been repainted gold by midday.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko applauded the stunt, calling it a “symbolic” gesture.
He urged Ukrainians worldwide to display the flag ahead of Independence Day on Sunday, celebrating Ukraine’s 1991 independence from the Soviet Union, AP reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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