Police arrest man suspected of tearing down Ukrainian flag in Vilnius

Police in Vilnius have detained a 21-year-old man suspected of tearing down a Ukrainian flag from the Transport Ministry building, LRT reported.

Police said the man was intoxicated when he tore down the flag at about 4:45 a.m. on Thursday, broke its pole and carried it along Gediminas Avenue. At the intersection with A. Vienuolio Street, he threw the flag into a rubbish truck.

Officers arrested the suspect at about 10:22 p.m. that day and took him into custody. Police said the man, who was born in 2005, was known to law enforcement for previous criminal offences.

He has been charged with desecrating the flag of a foreign state and ordered to sign a written undertaking not to leave the country.