During a performance in Ukraine in July, bassist ‘Evil’ Jeff Hasselhoff took a Russian flag and shoved it down his pants according to the BBC, and after going viral, Russian authorities have decided to press charges for “inciting hatred in an organized group.”

The band’s lead man, Jimmy Pop, is too being charged under the same law for making anti-Putin remarks, which got the band in trouble and banned from playing in the country.

This is what the Russian Investigative Committee had to say in a recent statement about James Frank and Jared Hennegan (the real names of the two jokesters) :

“Moyer, Hennegan and other unknown persons entered a criminal plot aimed at disgracing Russian citizens and formed a criminal group to that end.”

Even the Minister of Culture,Vladimir Madinsky, chimed in calling the band “idiots,” and reportedly the band was even attacked while waiting in a airport.

Since then, ‘Evil’ Hennegan has apologized, but Russian authorities are still pretty peeved at the incident and has banned the band from playing in the country for future concerts.

The charge they are facing is punishable by five years in prison, which is a little much for sticking a piece of cloth down your trousers. However, this was a really bad move on behalf of the two especially with everything going on between the U.S. and them. This is the last thing we needed, but hopefully this won’t further escalate the tension that is between these two powerful countries.