In Switzerland, a local resident was fined for spitting on the building of the Russian diplomatic mission

In Bern, Switzerland, a man was fined for spitting on a sign of the consular department of the Russian diplomatic mission. This was reported by the newspaper Blick.

The incident occurred on February 22, 2024. According to the publication, a lawyer of one of the state institutions of Switzerland during an evening jog stopped at the building of the Russian consulate and spat on a sign placed on the gate. One of the consulate security officers tried to detain the man, but he did not stop. Later, other guards blocked his path and detained him.

The Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office found the man guilty of "attacking someone else's state symbol." He was fined 6,900 francs (about 693 thousand rubles), as well as payment of court costs in the amount of 500 francs.

Due to the fact that the incident was recognized as a political offense violating international relations, the authorities received permission from the Minister of Justice Bit Jansa to start an investigation. The source of the publication said that the man's spit in the sign of the Russian consulate was connected with a protest against Switzerland's position on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

The culprit did not dispute the fine and stated that he intended to donate three times more to the pro-Ukrainian organization than the court costs.

Switzerland has been considered a neutral country since 1815, this status was fixed in 1907. It cannot directly or indirectly send weapons to the belligerents.

In June 2024, a summit on the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine was held in Switzerland, Russia was not invited to it.

Later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at a meeting with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis, noted that Switzerland's participation in "anti-Russian actions" would be taken into account when building bilateral relations. The Foreign Minister stressed that Bern's steps, such as participation in the Ukrainian peace summit and the expansion of anti-Russian sanctions, contradict the principles of neutrality.

Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Switzerland had lost its neutrality, being in solidarity with the Western minority on the Ukrainian issue, RBC reminds.