ASTANA (Reuters) – Kazakh police are investigating the short display of the Ukrainian flag on a giant LED screen in the capital, Astana, during a visit there by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kazakhstan Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
The Ukrainian flag – with its horizontal bands of blue and yellow – was briefly seen on Wednesday in place of Russia’s white, blue and red tricolor on display on one of Astana’s main thoroughfares.
Putin was already in the city at the time, and the screen was quickly turned off, but pictures and videos of the event quickly circulated online.
Reliable and interesting news every day, in your inbox
See for yourself – The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and interesting stories.
The Ministry of Interior said in a statement that it was looking into all possible versions, including technical glitches and hacker attacks.
According to an opinion poll conducted last year, the majority of Kazakhs are neutral regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, but among others, supporters of Ukraine outnumber those of Russia.
And with Russia being one of Kazakhstan’s biggest trading partners, stories about its economy often spread. On Thursday, the Kazakhstani tenge fell sharply against the US dollar after a sharp decline in the Russian ruble.
(Reporting by Tamara Vaal; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Gareth Jones)