The painting of a star on the spire of one of the so-called Stalin-style skyscrapers on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment in Moscow in the colors of the Ukrainian flag has been qualified as disorderly conduct rather than vandalism, a spokesperson from the Moscow city police department has told Interfax.
While individuals found guilty of vandalism may face up to three years in prison, the maximum punishment for disorderly conduct stipulated by the Russian Criminal Code is seven years in prison.
In addition, a number of searches have been conducted as part of the investigation, some material evidence has been collected, and 11 expert analyses have been ordered, including forensic chemical, biological, fingerprinting, and criminological, he said.
It was reported earlier that unidentified people had raised a Ukrainian flag 3 to 6 meters in size on the spire of the Stalin-style skyscraper on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment and started painting a star crowning the spire in yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, early on Wednesday.
A law enforcement source told Interfax that several young people with climbing gear had been brought to the Tagansky district police department on suspicion of raising the flag. Preliminary findings showed that these people had walked to the upper floor of the building using the stairs inside it and then fixed the cloth to the skyscraper’s spire using special equipment and then started painting the star.
