The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen — one of Denmark's most iconic tourist attractions — has been vandalised with the colours of the Russian flag graffitied onto its base, AP reports.
It is not yet known when the act of vandalism took place or who is responsible. The paint was reportedly washed off after a few hours. Many locals expressed their anger online at the expression of Russian nationalism on one of Denmark's most famous landmarks.
It is also not the first time the 1.65-metre statue has been defaced: in recent history, it has been graffitied, beheaded and even, on one occasion, blown up.
The bronze statue is based on one of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tales, in which a mermaid princess falls in love with a human prince.
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The mermaid's defacement is only the latest in a spate of pro-Russian acts of vandalism which have taken place across Europe over the past year.
Last month, a Holocaust memorial in Latvia was graffitied with a "Z" sign, widely considered to be a symbol of support for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
