On Wednesday, protesters gathered outside the Russian embassy in Warsaw with household appliances and articles of clothing, the state PAP news agency reported.
These assorted items, from washing machines to refrigerators and TV sets, were unloaded onto the lawn outside the embassy building, it said.
Photo: PAP/Albert Zawada
As toilet seats, shoes and undergarments landed on the doorstep of the diplomatic mission, demonstrators told the media: “We’re bringing them here because apparently one of the main motivations of the Russian army is to loot Ukrainian houses, for instance of old bathroom fixtures.”
Photo: PAP/Albert Zawada
“The staff at the Russian embassy might want to collect these things and hand them over to their army,” said Wojciech Stanisławski, who co-organised the rally with Ukrainian activist Natalia Panchenko.
Police described the protest as “peaceful,” PAP reported.
'Free Ukraine Gallery'
Meanwhile, the street that houses the Russian embassy has been adorned with anti-war art.
Dubbed “Free Ukraine Gallery,” the initiative is a call for an end to Russian aggression, showcasing the suffering of innocent people, according to Warsaw officials.
As part of the project, anti-war paintings have sprung up on the pavement outside the embassy's gates. Dozens of children’s toys have been placed nearby in tribute to the war’s youngest victims, and a big blue-and-yellow motto, Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine), runs along the opposite sidewalk, PAP reported.
Launching the “Free Ukraine Gallery” on Wednesday, Warsaw’s Deputy Mayor Aldona Machnowska-Góra thanked city councillors, artists and curators who have made it possible.
“It is our cry for peace,” she told reporters. "Enough war! Never again war!"
Thursday is day 50 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, um.warszawa.pl