Russia flag stunt gets Bloodhound Gang band in trouble

An American rock band, Bloodhound Gang, is in trouble with the Russian authorities over a stunt which saw one of its band members stuff the Russian flag into his pants and pull it out from his backside.

The band member told the audience "Don't tell Putin" before whipping the flag between his legs -- beneath his trousers -- during a concert in Odessa, Ukraine, on Wednesday.

He then tossed the flag into the crowd.

The stunt, which was caught on video, was posted on YouTube and has gone viral in Russia and Ukraine. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency named bass guitar player Jared Hasselhoff as the band member responsible.

Now the band faces repercussions in Russia, where it has been barred from performing at the Kubana music festival, in a southern Russian territory, Krasnodar Krai, officials said.

"Talked to Krasnodar territory leadership. Bloodhound Gang packing suitcases. These idiots won't perform in Kubana," Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said on Twitter Friday.A member of the band's crew, who asked to not be named for security reasons, told CNN the band was attacked Saturday by Russian nationalists inside Anapa airport in Krasnodar Krai.

The band members were "beaten up" by a crowd of men, he said, who punched and kicked them. Some of the attackers had whips.

He said there were no serious injuries and that the band and its entourage were now safe. A Russian police guard is accompanying them as they wait for the next flight out, he said.

Bloodhound Gang is still listed among the acts on the website for the weeklong Kubana festival on the Black Sea coast, which started Thursday.

Bloodhound Gang had a big hit in 1999 with the song "The Bad Touch." The band is known for releasing satirical and provocative songs.