Lithuania Denies Entry To Soviet-Styled Porsche

A Soviet flag flies outside a monument to Vladimir Lenin in Stavropol, Russia.

A Belarusian man driving a Porsche sports car emblazoned with the red-and-yellow flag of the Soviet Union has been denied entry into Lithuania on the grounds that the public display of such symbols in Lithuania is illegal.

Lithuania, which was under Soviet rule for half a century, banned the public display of Soviet symbols in 2008, sparking protests from Russia.

According to Lithuanian officials the hood of the Porsche 966, driven by a 26-year-old man on July 31, had a giant Soviet flag painted on it complete with a yellow hammer-and-sickle symbol and a star.

Lithuania and Hungary are the only two European Union countries to outlaw public displays of Soviet symbols.

Based on reporting by Reuters and delfi.lt