Activists block Russian ambassador at Soviet memorial in Warsaw
Published May 9, 2023 12:05 pm
WARSAW, Poland - Russia's ambassador to Poland was blocked by activists from laying flowers at a Soviet memorial in Warsaw on Tuesday, the day Russia celebrates Victory Day over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Several dozen activists also unveiled an art installation at the entrance, comprising hundreds of Ukrainian flags and memorial crosses for Ukrainians killed during the Russian invasion.
The installation included several mock-ups of residential buildings destroyed by Russian shelling in different Ukrainian cities.
Ambassador Sergei Andreyev tried to place a wreath at the mausoleum but was confronted by pro-Ukrainian activists and eventually forced to lay the flowers at the entrance to the site.
"As you can see, we are facing an obvious disturbance of public order. Unfortunately, for the second time, we were unable to lay wreaths at the monument to Soviet soldiers who died here in the fight against fascism," Andreyev said.
Andreyev was also met with protests at the same site last year, when activists threw red paint at the Russian diplomat.Â
Viktoria Pogrebniak, from pro-Ukrainian organisation Euromaidan, told AFP the aim of the protest action was "to show the consequences of Russian war against Ukraine.
"Of course they will try to show how they are still fighting with fascism... In fact they are the ones who started fascism all over again, who gave it another name," she said.
Euromaidan activists also called on Poland to expel Russia's ambassador.
"We, of course, cannot demand anything. We only can ask. But our request... is to see that Russian diplomats are sent away from Poland, are sent away from the civilised world, as they do not belong here anymore," Pogrebniak said.