UES Russian Consulate Vandalized With Red Paint Amid Ukraine Annexing

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Consulate General of Russia building on the Upper East Side was covered in red spray paint early Friday, hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin sparked global outrage by illegally annexing four regions of Ukraine.

The vandalism, documented in numerous social media posts, covered the entire lower portion of the facade of the consulate building at 9 East 91st St., near the corner of Fifth Avenue.

Police discovered the vandalism around 1:30 a.m. after someone called 911 to report it, an NYPD spokesperson told Patch.

Nobody has been arrested, but police are investigating it as "a possible bias incident," the spokesperson said.

The consulate building is known formally as the John Henry Hammond House, built in 1903 as a mansion for a wealthy banker.

A designated landmark as part of the Carnegie Hill Historic District, the building was purchased in 1975 by the Soviet Union, whose consul considered it similar in appearance to Russian imperial architecture, according to the New York Times.

For much of the time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the Consulate's block of East 91st Street has been lined with barricades, sometimes bolstered by a police presence.

Have an Upper East Side news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.