Cycle path outside Russian Embassy in Warsaw named ‘Avenue of the Victims of Russian Aggression’
A cycle path and side walk outside the Russian Embassy in Warsaw has been christened the Avenue of the Victims of Russian Aggression as a protest against Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Announcing the news on Friday on Facebook, Warsaw city council's roads department said: "We have a new avenue in Warsaw.
Announcing the news on Friday on Facebook, Warsaw city council's roads department said: "We have a new avenue in Warsaw. The pedestrian and bicycle route along Belwederska street from Bagatela to the intersection with Spacerowa street has become the Avenue of the Victims of Russian Aggression."
“The pedestrian and bicycle route along Belwederska street from Bagatela to the intersection with Spacerowa street has become the Avenue of the Victims of Russian Aggression."
They added: “The Russian embassy and its former cultural centre, dating back to the times of the Soviet Union, are located in this section," they added.
The naming is a response by Warsaw councillors to Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine and their desire to commemorate the victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Russian Federation embassy on Belwederska was built in 1954-55 for the Soviet Union on a plot that was once home to Edward Rydz-Śmygły (pictured), Poland’s commander-in-chief in September 1939.
The proposal was put forward by Law and Justice councillor Filip Frąckowiak in July this year.
In his justification, he wrote that "everything possible must be done so that the blatant disregard for the principles of international coexistence on the part of Russia does not continue.
“We decided to help Ukraine institutionally. We did this together and together we condemned Russian aggression in the Warsaw Council.
The embassy complex was designed to resemble a classicist Russian palace from the 18th and 19th centuries.
“We pointed out that this attack on Ukraine is an attack on our order and the security of Europe and Poland."
The councillors passed the resolution to commemorate the victims of the Russian attack on Ukraine in October.
The naming follows similar initiatives in Vilnius and Prague.
The naming proposal was put forward by Law and Justice councillor Filip Frąckowiak in July this year who said: "Everything possible must be done so that the blatant disregard for the principles of international coexistence on the part of Russia does not continue.”
In March this year, just a few weeks after Putin launched his war, Vilnius named the street leading to the Russian embassy in the city ‘Ukrainian Heroes Street’.
Meanwhile, in Prague in April, the street in front of the Russian Embassy was changed to Ukrainian Heroes Street and a bridge nearby was renamed in honour of a Ukrainian soldier.
The Russian Federation embassy on Belwederska was built in 1954-55 for the Soviet Union on a plot that was once home to Edward Rydz-Śmygły, Poland’s commander-in-chief in September 1939.
A painted message in Ukrainian on the street opposite the embassy says ‘Glory to Ukraine’.
Construction materials were imported from the USSR, and 500 Russian workers were taken from the construction of the Palace of Culture and Science.
Polish craftsmen and artists also took part in finishing the interiors. The construction was completed in September 1955.
The embassy complex was designed to resemble a classicist Russian palace from the 18th and 19th centuries.
