Russia jails man over Ukraine flag protest

Moscow's Tagansky district court on Thursday sentenced Podrezov to two years and three months in prison for "hatred-motivated vandalism."

The 20-year-old "roofer" - a Russian term for an extreme urban sportsman - was convicted over a stunt in which a yellow Soviet-era star was painted half-blue to resemble the Ukrainian flag.

The conviction came despite the fact that a Ukrainian daredevil known as Mustang claimed credit for the deed, saying it was an "art performance." Podrezov was found guilty of supplying the paint to Mustang, and taking him to the roof.

Four other people, who were on the roof when the incident happened, were acquitted amid doubts about their guilt. The four young Russians, base jumpers who parachute from high rise buildings for fun, spent months under house arrest ahead of the court case. The defense claimed it had been a coincidence that they had been there at the same time.

'A surge of sentiment'

Mustang, whose real name is Pavel Ushivets, said all those arrested were innocent, and posted a picture of himself standing by the painted star with a Ukrainian flag.

"I did not see the Russian citizens on the roof and I don't even know them," said Ushivets, a one-time member of a Ukrainian volunteer battalion. Ushivets, who lives in Ukraine, said he painted the star due to a "surge of sincere patriotic sentiments" amid the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The AFP news agency reported one of the acquitted, Anna Lepeshkina, as telling journalists that the result had come as a surprise. "We have a small percentage of acquittals, we didn't believe it till the end," said Lepeshinka. "The investigation, unlike the court, was unfair. They constantly put pressure on us," she said.

rc/kms (AFP, Reuters)