London — Protesters painted a giant Ukrainian flag on the road outside the Russian embassy in London on Thursday, hours before the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Activists poured yellow and blue paint onto a busy street in the west London neighborhood of Kensington, then spread it with brushes to imitate the flag of Ukraine.

The British political campaign group “Led By Donkeys” claimed responsibility for the stunt. In a statement, the group said: “Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of Putin’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine, an independent state and a people with every right to self-determination. The existence of a huge Ukrainian flag outside his embassy in London It will serve to remind him of that.”

The group said it had applied almost 40 gallons of washable paint to the road and that passing traffic had actually helped with the job, as car tires spread the colors in both directions.

London’s Metropolitan Police said four people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and obstruction of the road on Thursday morning in connection with the protest.

But the stunt brought joy to Abdul Malek, a Chechen protester who has organized regular protests outside the embassy.

He said he was “happy” to see Ukraine’s national colors displayed in front of the Russian embassy when he arrived for his protest vigil on Tuesday morning.

“With a little luck [the protesters] will be released, I think they should be awarded,” Malek told CBS News.