Large Ukrainian Flag Painted Outside Russian Embassy, ​​London Police Detain Four People

Ukrainian flag paint on the front road of the Russian Embassy in London. (Twitter/@ByDonkeys)

JAKARTA - A group of activists poured hundreds of liters of yellow and blue paint onto the street outside the Russian Embassy in London on Thursday, to make a large Ukrainian flag ahead of the one-year anniversary of Moscow's invasion.

Activist group Led By Donkeys stopped traffic, before scattering more than 300 liters of paint on the street using a wheelbarrow and paintbrush to create a 500 square meter (5.382 square foot) flag.

"Ukraine is an independent country and its people have the right to self-determination," the group said in a statement, citing Reuters, February 24.

"The presence of a very large Ukrainian flag outside the (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) embassy in London will serve to remind him of that," the group continued.

Russian Embassy, London pic.twitter.com/99mFy6Gx5k

— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) February 23, 2023

Led By Donkeys, founded in 2018 as an anti-Brexit group, said they had poured 170 liters of yellow paint on Bayswater Road's east lane and the same amount of blue paint on the west side, with oncoming traffic then scattering the colors. it along the way.

The tires of some of the vehicles were covered in paint as they passed over them, leaving colorful marks along the roads bordering Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

The group says the non-toxic, solvent-free, and quick-drying paint is washable and designed for street art.

Meanwhile, London's Metropolitan Police (The Met) said officers had been called to the area at 0845 GMT on reports of paint pouring on the street.

The Met said three men and a woman had been arrested on suspicion of vandalism and obstruction of a highway.

It is understood Moscow said its invasion was justified by fears for security, protecting native Russian speakers, and denazification.