In 2011, we reported on an epic act of vandalism: A graffiti artist in Sofia, Bulgaria, transformed a monument dedicated to the the Soviet Union's 1944 "liberation" of the country into a superhero tableau. The eclectic group includes Superman, Captain America, the Joker and Ronald McDonald, who I guess is kind of a superhero if you're hungry.

This week, the Russian government gave us an excuse to revisit the story by complaining to the Bulgarian government that it wasn't trying hard enough to stop repeated vandalism of the statue and bring the culprits to justice.

The superhero vandalism was cleaned off in 2011 (at a cost of $720), only for it to be painted pink two years later, with the words "Bulgaria apologizes," marking the anniversary of the Prague Spring. It was hit in February, with one of the soldiers painted the colors of the Ukraine flag, and again just this week, in red.

That was just too much for the Russian Foreign Ministry, which issued this statement: "In connection with the outrageous act of vandalism,a note of protest was promptly lodged with the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry with a demand for taking measures to prevent such incidents in the future, bringing those responsible for breaching the law to justice and putting the grave and the monument in order."

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