Russian consulate in New York vandalized with red paint in possible bias incident, police say

• The Russian consulate in New York was vandalized with red spray paint early Friday, police said.
• The NYPD is investigating the vandalism as a possible bias incident, said a spokesman.

The Russian consulate in New York City was vandalized with red spray paint early Friday in a possible bias incident, a spokesman for the New York Police Department told Insider.

Authorities received a 911 call about the incident at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday and discovered that the facade of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York on Manhattan's Upper East Side had been completely doused with red paint, the police spokesman said.

Two people wearing black masks, dressed in black clothing, and holding a backpack were captured on surveillance footage vandalizing the East 91st Street building, according to the spokesman. No arrests have yet been made.

The NYPD is investigating the vandalism as a possible bias incident, the spokesman said.

The Russian consulate could not immediately be reached for comment by Insider.

The incident came just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees to annex four Ukrainian regions amid his seven-month war with Ukraine.

In a speech on Friday, Putin said that the regions were now part of Russia.

Ukraine and Western nations have rejected the move by Putin.

"The United States condemns Russia's fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory," President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday as he announced new sanctions against Russia.

Biden added, "Make no mistake: these actions have no legitimacy. The United States will always honor Ukraine's internationally recognized borders."

Last week, Putin again escalated his war with Ukraine when he announced plans to partially mobilize hundreds of thousands of reservists to beef up Moscow's forces in the war.

The Russian leader threatened the use of nuclear weapons as he said in a televised address to the nation that mobilization would begin immediately.

Putin's announcement of a partial mobilization of troops came as Russia has suffered recent disastrous defeats on the battlefield in Ukraine.