According to a report on Wednesday, Russian police are investigating a bizarre circus show featuring a monkey in a Nazi costume and goats with swastikas.
According to the UK Sun, the animals were caught on camera last week on a parade around the state circus of Udmurtia in Izhevsk, with escorts dressed in Soviet uniforms.
Wild images show goats in red Swastika capes clawing on them next to a monkey in formal black Nazi uniform.
The performance – seen by children and commissioned by the Russian Orthodox Church – may be in violation of a Russian law prohibiting the display of Nazi symbols, the outlet reported.
Local police and prosecutors are investigating whether the show glorifies Adolf Hitler or Nazi culture.
But the church said performers were simply using animal actors to portray the country’s historic victory over Hitler during World War II.
“The performances of trainers wearing Soviet military uniforms with animals with Nazi symbols were used not only as a picture of the victory over fascism,” a church representative told the outlet. “[It depicts] worldwide condemnation of the ideals of Nazi Germany. “
The circus added that no one involved in the act is actually bananas to The Third Reich.
“Trainers in the form of Red Army soldiers [were] hunt trained animals with Nazi symbols, ”the circus representative said.
Last year, Vladimir Putin signed an exemption to allow the wearing of swastikas in performances if they portray the Nazis negatively.