The sunflower is known for being the national flower of Ukraine, so activists have been using it to show support for the country as they fight the Russian invasion.
About a month ago, a group of Washington, D.C. residents planted sunflowers in the public spaces outside the Russian embassy in the U.S. But last week, as the sunflowers grew taller, someone ripped them from the ground and threw them on the sidewalk. Activists returned last Sunday and planted more, pledging that they would continue to plant them every time they were pulled out.
This weekend, however, something else happened. A group of Washingtonians came together with supplies and helped plant even more. At one point, two little girls took a bunch of sunflowers and laid them on the drive outside the embassy.
Not long after, a car was filmed speeding into the drive. A man got out, kicked the flowers into the road and sped into the embassy parking area behind the gate. The man was then photographed ranting about the sunflowers to a secret service agent stationed at the gate.
The license plate was visible, showing diplomatic plates. The first three letters of such a license plate indicate the "D" for the fact that it's a diplomat and YR is the country code used by the DC Department of Motor Vehicles. the DMV doesn't use the actual country code for security purposes. DYR at the beginning of this plate shows it's a diplomatic vehicle from Russia.
Activists previously tried to project the Ukraine flag on the building and Russian staff tried to shine a spotlight on it to wash the image out. It resulted in a kind of light cat-and-mouse chase that left people laughing at Russia.
UPDATE: The Ukraine ambassador to the U.S. posted her own comment on the incident. According to the Facebook translation, she says: "Enemies are very annoyed by every symbol that reminds the world of our struggle, dignity and train, as well as the endless evil that Russians inflict on our people on a daily basis. Diplomats of the aggressor country behave as mean .. bragging about unworthy deeds, justifying murderers and counting on impunity. But! Accountability will definitely come at the international tribunal, and before that, everyone should see and remember their faces and 'deeds.'"
See the video below or at this link.
\u201cGirls laid sunflowers outside the Russian Embassy and minutes later, a Russian zoomed up in his car, got out, kicked the flowers, and zoomed behind the gate\u201d— Amanda Carpenter (@Amanda Carpenter) 1659295703
\u201cWhat a fantastic job today in front of the Gates of Hell (aka The Russian Embassy) in Washington DC replanting the uprooted sunflowers \ud83c\udf3b with neighbors, Ukrainian Americans, and many supporters like @KinneyStephDC @benjaminwittes @gtconway3d @BillKristol \u2014 \u0421\u043b\u0430\u0432\u0430 \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u0456!\u201d— Chiara Pappalardo\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Chiara Pappalardo\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1659290457
\u201cA large group of us planted sunflowers outside the Russian embassy in Washington DC today, organized by @benjaminwittes.\u201d— John Aravosis \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@John Aravosis \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1659294315
