Maria Zakharova slams Georgian singer for 'insulting' Russian flag

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova strongly criticized a performance by Georgian singer Erekle Getsadze during the Tbilisi Open Air festival, where he allegedly disrespected the Russian flag on stage. The act has sparked outrage among Russian media and Telegram channels, which described it as an “insult to the Russian national flag.”

"Russian law enforcement will assess the performance involving the Russian tricolor in Georgia," Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.

According to Russian media reports, Getsadze dropped the Russian flag on the ground during his performance, then placed it in a plastic bag and mimicked urinating on it.

Commenting on the incident, Zakharova stated: “A flag remains a flag, regardless of how a psychopath handles it.”

She went on to mock Getsadze, writing: “When God does not give a man a brain, he is forced to operate with other organs.”

Zakharova also invoked the memory of notable Georgians who, in her words, “honored the Russian flag with pride,” including Prince Piotr Bagrationi, ballet dancer Nikolay Tsiskaridze, and World War II hero Meliton Kantaria, who raised the Soviet flag over the Reichstag in 1945.

“These are people who reached true professional heights and identified themselves with the Russian tricolor with genuine Georgian honor and pride — unlike this disgrace,” Zakharova added.

Under Article 329 of the Russian Criminal Code, public desecration of the Russian national flag is punishable by up to one year of imprisonment or forced labor.