A woman who attempted to hang a Russian flag in the center of Odessa yesterday had previously come to the attention of law enforcement for theft and petty hooliganism. Local residents claim she was an active participant in the anti-Maidan protests.
The regional department of the National Police reported that the incident involving the tricolor flag, which the woman intended to display on European Square, occurred around 11:00 PM. According to eyewitnesses, an unidentified woman climbed onto the pedestal where a monument to Empress Catherine II once stood and expressed support for the aggressor country.
Police identified her, and the hostile tricolor flag was seized and included in the case as physical evidence.
It is noted that the perpetrator is a 43-year-old resident of Odessa, who has previously come under the scrutiny of law enforcement for theft, petty hooliganism, and drinking alcohol in public places. Police and SBU officers are currently working with her.
The police added that they are considering the possibility of charging her with denying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and determining a preventive measure. She faces up to three years in prison.
Meanwhile, local residents reported seeing this woman in 2014 - she was a participant in the so-called anti-Maidan. In particular, Odessa city council member Andrei Vagapov mentioned on the air of Kyiv24 that he remembers her as a rather active participant in the pro-Russian tent camp that was set up in Kulikovo Field.
Pro-Ukrainian activist Demyan Hanul named the suspect. She is allegedly Elena Chesakova - a native of the town of Berezovka in the Odessa region.
"She owns apartments in Kyiv and Odessa... She likely has relatives in Russia," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
Details of the Incident with the Tricolor in Odessa
Late in the evening on October 7, an unidentified woman attempted to hang a Russian tricolor in the center of Odessa, but was stopped by passersby.
Video from European Square quickly spread across local Telegram channels. In it, a woman in sunglasses and sportswear climbed onto the pedestal where the "Founders of Odessa" monument once stood, the central figure of which was Russian Empress Catherine II. The woman unfurled the tricolor and began to attach it. She was noticed by passersby, who started demanding that she stop her actions, throwing paper cups with drinks at her. Subsequently, one of the men snatched the hostile flag from her hands. The woman argued with the crowd, insisting that the rockets fired at Odessa were not from Russia and that a "hybrid war" was currently underway. When she was forced to remove her glasses, she said in Russian: "Akhmat" - strength, Russia - power, Allahu akbar...". The police were called to the scene.