Pond near Russian embassy in Vilnius dyed blood red in protest at war in Ukraine

VILNIUS – A pond near Moscow's embassy in Vilnius was dyed blood red on Wednesday in protest against Russia's aggression in Ukraine. 

Lithuania's Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte, who swam through the red-dyed pond, said in a tweet, "The performance 'Swimming Through' is a call for action in support of the Ukrainian people who are facing genocide committed by Russia".

Julija Samorokovskaja, spokeswoman for Vilnius County Police, told BNS that the protest had been coordinated with environmental protection authorities, adding that the dye was harmless. 

Vilnius Municipality spokesman Paulius Vaitekenas told BNS that the protest was an artistic performance to draw the world's attention to Russia's war crimes.

The dye was similar to that used to color the River Vilnia in the Lithuanian capital on St Patrick's Day, according to him. 

Apart from Meilutyte, the authors of the performance are Berta Tilmantaite, founder of the journalistic platform NARA, Neringa Rekasiute and Aurelija Urbonaviciute.

Russia invaded Ukraine more than a month ago, sparking outrage and anger around the world.

Thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and several million have been forced to flee the war-torn country. 

There are increasing reports of Ukrainian civilians tortured by Russian troops in areas that were temporarily taken by the Kremlin's army.