The Hindu Sena, a Right-wing group notorious for defacing signages of roads and institutions with Muslim-sounding names, has put up posters on the statue of Russian litterateur Alexander Pushkin in Mandi House here, supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The posters say: “Indian Hindus are with Putin and Russia in establishing Soviet Union. Jai ho akhand Russia. Jai Bharat. Hindu Sena.”

Sena leader Vishnu Gupta initially sent messages to journalists on WhatsApp informing that the posters were pasted on a statue of “Russian leader Lelin”, but later clarified that it was a statue of “pushkar” at Mandi House in Lutyens’ Delhi.

Statues of Lenin, Pushkin and Tolstoy were installed in the heart of the capital in the late 1980s. Lenin’s statue is in Nehru Park, Tolstoy’s on Janpath, and Pushkin’s, outside Rabindra Bhavan, is downFirozshah Road where the Russian Cultural Centre is located.

In a statement, Sena leader Gupta said: “It was very disturbing to see the Ukraine representative at the UNSC meeting openly arm twisting & blackmailing India by holding our students hostage, so we vote in their favour. Later many media reports surfaced showing the manhandling of Indian students in Ukraine by the Ukrainian authorities at the Ukraine-Poland border, saying it was because India didn’t support Ukraine in United Nations. Many Indian as well as African citizens have reported similar discrimination and humiliation that is RACISM in the FACIST RACIST Ukraine.”

Pushkin’s great-grandfather Abram Petrovich Gannibal was a slave from Africa.

Gupta added: “Any mistreatment of Indians and other nationals in Ukraine must STOP immediately or the Ukrainian authorities must not forget that even their national are living in other countries… We pray and support Russia getting back their old Soviet Union (Akhand Russia) and taking all necessary action to safeguard their borders.” (sic)