02.10 Topless Show With Russian Flag Investigated for

MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) � A Russian dance trio photographed performing topless with Russian flags that were tossed on a stage is being investigated for �desecration,� the Investigative Committee said Wednesday.

In photos uploaded onto two news sites covering the Ural region � Ura.ru and U74.ru � the three young women can be seen wearing blue shorts and red gloves, dancing apparently bare-breasted with Russian national flags.

An artistic director for the venue where the women were reportedly performing � the hotel Ural Dawn (Uralskiye Zori) in the Chelyabinsk Region � called the dance a display of patriotism, as in �Go, Russia� � a far cry from desecration.

But regional investigators are taking the matter very seriously, as flag desecration is punishable by up to a year behind bars.

The head of the local Investigative Committee has even taken the inspection under his �personal� control, the agency said in a statement.

In July, the bassist of American rock band Bloodhound Gang caused public outcry after being filmed cramming a Russian flag down his pants and literally wiping his butt with it at a show in Odessa, Ukraine. Video of the incident was uploaded to YouTube.

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into the incident, and the band, which by then had come to Russia, quickly had to leave.