The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen has been vandalised with the colours of the Russian flag painted across its base, in an act that police believe may be a show of support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The red, white and blue stripes were daubed on the rock on which the bronze figure sits overnight on Thursday. Copenhagen police said they had attended the scene and recorded a case of vandalism, and were searching for traces in the area.
The 175kg statue, created by sculptor Edvard Eriksen and inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairytale, has been a frequent target of vandals. Past incidents include the theft of its head in 1964 and again in 1998, the cutting off of its arm in 1984, and being blown up in 2003. It has also been repeatedly painted, most recently in 2020 with the words 'racist fish'.
Tourists at the Langelinie harbour site photographed the defaced statue on Thursday morning, as police opened an investigation into the incident.
