'Murder' Painted Outside Russian Embassy After Invasion Of Ukraine

WASHINGTON, DC — A sidewalk outside Russia's Embassy in Washington, D.C., was vandalized Thursday morning as dozens of people protested the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Photos posted on Twitter by NBC4 reporter Justin Finch showed the word “Murder” in large red letters painted on the sidewalk outside the Embassy. D.C. police officers and Secret Service police were standing guard outside the embassy as people stood in the rain protecting the invasion, Finch said.

The Secret Service said its officers responded to a report of a person defacing the public sidewalk next to the embassy at 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW Thursday morning. The officers found and arrested the person, who was charged with defacing property, a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement.

The person was taken to the Metropolitan Police Department's 2nd District station for processing. The Secret Service said that, as a matter of practice, it does not release the names of people it arrests.

The MPD said the Secret Service was taking the lead on the investigation and arrest, while D.C. police officers offer assistance.

Protests broke out across Russia on Thursday against the invasion of Ukraine. Police have arrested nearly 1,400 people at antiwar protests in cities across Russia, according to reports.