The diplomat, despite the request to refrain from the flower-laying ceremony, still came with a crown in the colors of the Russian tricolor.
Russian Consul General Nikolai Konygin caused a scandal at a war memorial in the Norwegian city of Kirkenes on the day that marked the day the city was liberated from Nazi troops by the Soviet army. This was reported by The Independent Barents Observer.
Local politicians have repeatedly asked Konygin and the people around him to avoid the traditional flower-laying ceremony. However, a Russian diplomat appeared at the memorial without warning to lay a wreath in the colors of the Russian tricolor.
Konygin refused to give any comments to journalists, but the situation became tense when some of his supporters started speaking out and physically attacked local journalists: the local pro-Kremlin figure Olga Smirnova twice tried to push one of the journalists.
Two hours earlier, Kirkenes mayor Magnus Mäland was at the same monument to lay a wreath on behalf of the local municipality. The wreath is made in blue and yellow colors.
Shortly after the Russian Consul General placed his wreath directly over the Norwegian, Meland returned and placed both wreaths side by side. However, Smirnova tried to stop him.
Subsequently, in his speech, Meland called Russia an aggressor and called on Vladimir Putin to stop the war against Ukraine. At the same time, he added that the sacrifice of Soviet soldiers in 1944 will not be forgotten.
Remember that during World War II, Nazi German troops used Kirkenes as a springboard to capture the Kola Peninsula, but they were unsuccessful.
As a result of the battles and air raids, the small Norwegian town was completely destroyed. On October 25, 1944, Soviet troops drove the Germans out of the Petsamo region of Finland.
We remind you that Norway will increase its defense budget with an emphasis on supporting Ukraine. About $700 million is allocated for these purposes.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.