NEW YORK, January 22. /TASS/. An unidentified man attempted to break into Russia’s Consulate General in New York and damaged mission property, the consulate told TASS.

"The perpetrator, whose identity is being verified by US law enforcement agencies that arrived about 15 minutes after being called by Russian diplomats, climbed onto the second-floor balcony. Unable to break the closed shutters, he tore down the New Year lights but failed to untie the Russian flag installed on the flagpole," the consulate said.

The offender is currently in custody, and police are investigating the circumstances of the incident.

Russian diplomats expressed regret that provocative actions against the mission in New York are a regular occurrence. According to them, US authorities have not always responded to such incidents with adequate countermeasures, despite repeated official appeals from the Russian side to ensure the security of the diplomatic mission.