How Russian Embassies Have Been Trolled Since The 2022 Ukraine Invasion
- By RFE/RL
Amid years of political failure and military deadlock, protesters around the world have used art, and in some cases vandalism outside Russian embassies to make their feelings known about the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
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A skeletal depiction of Russian President Vladimir Putin on a building facing the Russian Embassy in Riga, Latvia, photographed in January 2023
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The street in front of the Russian Embassy in London stained in the colors of the Ukrainian flag after vandals protesting the invasion covered it with paint in February 2023
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A stencilled message to the Russian president outside the Russian Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, photographed in February 2022
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A protest sculpture by Jan Slovencik in a park outside the Russian Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic, photographed in October 2025.
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A street sign naming a stretch of road Ukrainian Heroes Street is installed in front of the Russian Embassy (visible at top left) in Prague in April 2022.
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A man cleans up the remnants of Ukrainian colors spread onto the pavement outside the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. in August 2025.
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A sign for the Avenue of Victims of Russian Aggression that was installed in front of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland
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A caricature of President Putin outside the Russian Embassy in Kappara, Malta, in March 2022.
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A depiction of Putin bathing in Ukrainian blood in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin in March 2024
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A Russian T-72 tank that was damaged during fighting in Ukraine stands in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin, pictured in February 2023
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A worker installs a street sign in Ukrainian renaming a road leading to the Russian Embassy (visible in background) in Vilnius, Lithuania, in March 2022. The road is now called Ukrainian Heroes Street.
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An image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is projected onto the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, in February 2023
![One of several sculptures of wolves installed close to the Russian Embassy in Berlin. The sign says "Dear Mr. Putin, we are holding up a mirror to you. What do you see? Do these aggressive monsters represent the nation of [Russian artists] Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Tchaikovsky?" The protest art was installed in April 2022.](https://gdb.rferl.org/bfb3561f-5b12-4c94-edcb-08ddfa9b841d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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One of several sculptures of wolves installed close to the Russian Embassy in Berlin. The sign says "Dear Mr. Putin, we are holding up a mirror to you. What do you see? Do these aggressive monsters represent the nation of [Russian artists] Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Tchaikovsky?" The protest art was installed in April 2022.
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Activists put up a mock street sign outside the Russian Embassy in Rome, Italy, in March 2024, after the death of Russian opposition activist Aleksei Navalny.
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A Ukrainian-language message declaring "glory to Ukraine" on the pavement outside the Russian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, photographed in April 2022
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Russia, for its part, has also trolled Western embassies. This image shows a sign outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in June 2024.
