Russia’s ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev’s face was splattered with red paint thrown at him on Monday by protesters opposing the Ukraine war, on his way to paying respects at a Warsaw cemetery to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the attack, saying that “we won’t be scared” while the “people of Europe should be scared to see their reflection in a mirror”.
Ambassador Sergey Andreev arrived at the Soviet Military Cemetery in Warsaw to lay flowers on Victory Day, which marks the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Allies. As he arrived at the cemetery in the Polish capital, Andreev was met by scores of anti-war activists protesting against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The protesters first snatched away a wreath of flowers that he had intended to lay at the cemetery and trampled it. Then, all of a sudden, red paint was thrown from behind at him before a protester standing beside him threw another big blob of it in his face.
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The protesters carried Ukrainian flags and chanted “fascists” and “murderers” at him, while some were dressed in white sheets smeared with red, symbolizing the Ukrainian victims of Russia’s war. Other people in his entourage were also seen splattered with what appeared to be red paint.
Zakharova said that “admirers of the neo-Nazis have once again shown their face.” She said that along with the removal of monuments to Soviet army World War II heroes, the attack reflected the “course for the reincarnation of fascism.”
The Polish government faced criticism for not providing the ambassador with enough security. Some Russian commentators suggested that the attack on the ambassador could prompt Moscow to recall him and ask the Polish ambassador to leave.
Poland’s current interior minister, however, noted that Poland’s government had advised the Russian ambassador against laying flowers at the cemetery, and noted that police allowed him to safely leave the scene.
“The gathering of opponents of Russian aggression against Ukraine, where the crime of genocide takes place every day, was legal,” Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski added. “The emotions of Ukrainian women taking part in the demonstration, whose husbands are fighting bravely in defense of their homeland, are understandable.”
(With inputs from AP)
