Polish activists on Monday dumped a small truck full of coal on the main gates of the Russian embassy in an act of protest against continued Western consumption of Russian energy amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Footage of the incident was shared on Facebook by activist Giedrius Sakalauskas.
As shown in the video and reported by Ukrainian media, the activists drove the car to the embassy gate and, despite police protests, unloaded it right then and there as other protesters held signs.
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The protesters themselves are not unusual – in fact, protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine are almost a daily occurrence at the embassy. This is the first coal dumping protest, however.
According to Ukrainian media, one of the protesters explained to police that they had fulfilled an order for delivery and could provide a receipt.
The incident is indicative of the growing calls against global dependency on Russian energy, as Moscow is a leading supplier of energy to Europe.
However, it wasn't the only recent incident of a Russian embassy gate being targeted by protesters.
On Monday, demonstrators used a large truck to climb over and subsequently tear down the gates of the Russian Embassy in Ireland.
#Statement by the Embassy on the violation of its territory pic.twitter.com/AMCGKTzRsL
— Russia in Ireland (@Rus_Emb_Ireland) March 7, 2022
The incident was condemned by the embassy on Twitter, who accused the Garda officers (Ireland's national police) of idly standing by.
The embassy slammed the incident as a "criminal act of insanity directed against [a] peaceful diplomatic mission," adding that "we believe that no people of sound mind could support such senseless and barbaric actions."