Much-published mural of Russian president and US presidential candidate destroyed with white paint in Vilnius

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

An image of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump engaged in a passionate embrace was apparently too much for some in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

The internationally famous mural of the Russian president and the US presidential candidate, dubbed on the wall of the BBQ restaurant Keulė Rūkė, was covered over with white paint last night.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The kiss in its full glory Photograph: Keule Ruke

The work of local artist Mindaugas Bonanu went viral on social media after it was unveiled in May, and has since become a popular backdrop for selfies.

Restaurant owner Dominykas Čečkauskas said that the censorship was more than “simple vandalism” but “a terrorising attack on freedom of speech in Lithuania”.



“The purpose of the attack was to remind us, the people of the free world, that there are still active advocates of authoritarianism in our society,” he said on Keulė Rūkė’s Facebook page.

The image takes inspiration from the infamous 1979 painting of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev kissing the East German president, Erich Honecker.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A depiction of the famous kiss between Brezhnev and Honecker. Photograph: John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images

“We saw similarities between the two heroes [Trump and Putin]. ... They both have an ego that is too big, and it is funny that they get along well,” Čečkauskas previously told the Baltic News Service.

It’s not yet clear who was responsible for the attack but it comes at a time of escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a military ally of Lithuania.

Čečkauskas has promised to reinstall the artwork which he describes as “a world famous symbol of liberty and defiance”.