Russia asks Poland to apologize for ambassador’s paint spatter

On May 9, Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergey Andreev was surrounded and attacked by protesters protesting against Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, when he went to lay flowers at the Soviet soldiers cemetery in Warsaw. commemoration of Victory Day over fascism.

Photos and videos shared online show Ambassador Andreev being booed and splashed with red paint in the face by violent protesters, before being escorted out of the cemetery by Polish police.

After the above incident, the Russian Foreign Ministry on May 11 summoned Polish Ambassador to Moscow Krzysztof Krajewski to protest, and accused Warsaw of serious violations of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. which stipulates that states must protect foreign diplomats on their territory.

“Russia awaits an official apology from the Polish leadership regarding the incident, and requests to ensure the safety of the Russian Ambassador and all employees of Russian agencies in Poland,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. know in a statement on May 11, according to Reuters news agency. “We will decide on our next course of action depending on Warsaw’s response to our requests.”

The Polish government has not yet issued an official response to the Russian request.

Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said that Polish officials had warned Ambassador Andreev not to lay a wreath at the cemetery of Soviet soldiers on May 9.

However, Foreign Minister Rau still condemned the act of painting, calling it “extremely bad”. “Diplomats must enjoy special protection, regardless of the policies pursued by their governments,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Polish Government spokesman Piotr Muller and Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said it was “understandable” the anger of protesters attacking the Russian ambassador, and “no reason”. There is no reason to criticize their behavior”.

Relations between Moscow and Warsaw became strained after Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine. Poland, Ukraine’s western neighbor, has led calls for the European Union (EU) to step up sanctions against Russia and ask NATO to give Ukraine arms.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov last week accused Poland of being a potential threat to the “territorial integrity of Ukraine”. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev also warned in March that Warsaw would pay a heavy price for “anti-Russian syndrome”.

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