Those who painted the huge penis on the Liteiny bascule bridge are members of an underground, oppositionist art group called Voina (the Russian word for "war"), which stages provocative, unauthorised performances in the streets of Russian cities.

The painting, which pointed skyward whenever the bridge was raised, was displayed in full view of the citizens of St. Petersburg. Firefighters eventually washed it away with their hoses. A bus full of tourists even drove to the spot and took pictures in front of the gigantic phallus.

The artists who drew the penis were almost immediately arrested by the police. One of the participants, Lionya Yebanuty ("Lionya the F**khead"), was detained for two full days after the performance. However, according to her, the young officers who detained her found the sight incredibly amusing and took photos of the massive penis with their cell phones to send to their friends and colleagues.