Russian ambassador to Poland is showered with red paint during protest

The Russian ambassador to Poland was sprayed with red paint by pro-Ukrainian activists in Warsaw on Monday as he attempted to lay a wreath to mark Victory Day.

Sergei Andreev was attacked at the Cemetery of Soviet Soldiers in the Polish capital, where he planned to attend an event commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Andreev was surrounded by a protesting crowd of activists protesting against the invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24 by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Images shared on social media show the Russian ambassador being splashed with red paint, thrown by a protester standing next to him.

Russian Ambassador Sergey Andreev was struck by red paint while trying to lay a wreath in the Soviet soldiers cemetery in #Warsaw | Manifestantes arrojan pintura al embajador ruso en Polonia, Sergey Andreev mientras conmemoraba a los soldados soviéticos en monumento en Varsovia. pic.twitter.com/oy8NrenCvS

— ADN America (@AmericaAdn) May 9, 2022

The group of protesters, shouting slogans such as "fascist" and "murderer," also prevented the ambassador and others from placing their offerings at the cemetery.  

Some wore white clothes stained with red paint, representing Ukrainian victims in the midst of the war with Russia.

"In Warsaw, during the laying of a wreath at the cemetery of Soviet soldiers, an attack was carried out against Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreev and Russian diplomats accompanying him," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed on Telegram, according to The New York Post.

"The supporters of neo-Nazism have once again shown their faces," Zakharova added, repeating the Kremlin's claim that they are fighting neo-Nazis in Ukraine. "But as I have said before, we cannot be intimidated. It must be terrible for the people of Europe to see themselves reflected in that mirror."

Police helped the Russian ambassador, who was not injured in the attack, to leave the scene.

Since the invasion of Ukraine began, more than three million people in Ukraine have sought refuge in Poland, but more and more are seeking to return home.

"Between 65% and 80% of Ukrainians who fled their country express their willingness to return home as soon as possible, as soon as they consider the security situation to be adequate. And I think these statements are quite sincere," assured Olena Babakova, a Ukrainian journalist expert on migration, according to EuroNews.

Many refugees who arrived in Poland also rejected the idea of moving to other Western countries.