The statue became increasingly controversial following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 18 November 2022, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Latvia posted pictures of the monument, painted with white and red paint, on social media. The State Police of Latvia started an investigation into this case. On 25 November 2022, a petition called "Demolition of the Pushkin monument" was posted on the community petition platform ManaBalss.lv. On 12 March 2023, Latvian Russian Union organized a protest in front of Riga Town Hall against the statue's proposed removal attended by around 200 people.[3][4] The statue was removed in May 2023.[1][2]