Protesters around the world have come out in their thousands to show their support for the people of Ukraine.
Streets in London, New York, Sydney, and Tokyo have been transformed into seas of yellow and blue as people called on governments to do more to help Ukraine in the face of Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
Hundreds of people marched through heavy rain in Sydney chanting ‘Ukraine will prevail’.
While in Tokyo protesters called for Russia to be expelled from the United Nations Security Council.
For the latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine war, visit our live blog: Russia-Ukraine live
Thousands of people have also taken to the streets in Europe, with rallies held in London, Nicosia, Berlin, Athens, Helsinki, Madrid and Milan.
Across the continent, Ukrainians living abroad and their supporters draped themselves in flags and held up ‘stop the war’ placards.
People attending the marches spoke of their shock that war had returned to the continent.
‘You look at the people gathered here and everybody is scared … We had peace for 80 years and all of a sudden, war is back in Europe,’ said Stefan Pischel, among a crowd of some 2,500 in Munich’s Karlsplatz square.
In the Swiss capital of Bern, an estimated 20,000 people gathered to call on the government to take tougher action against Russia.
In Geneva, hundreds of people demonstrated in front of the United Nations headquarters, carrying signs such as ‘Make Ukraine a member of NATO now’ and ‘Say no to Putin’.
‘I’m here because I’m extremely ashamed for my country of birth,’ said Valery Bragar, a native Russian who has lived in Switzerland for 15 years and is now a Swiss citizen.
Tears were shed as the crowds outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh chanted ‘please help Ukraine’ and ‘slava Ukraini’ (glory to Ukraine) on Saturday.
A megaphone was passed around demonstrators, with some sharing personal stories about relatives currently hiding in basements in Kyiv.
Others urged the Scottish Government and other European powers to do more to stop Mr Putin’s troops.
Marjan Pokhyly, originally from Kyiv and now living in Edinburgh, was one of the demonstrators.
The 28-year-old shared his concern for his grandmother, who is still in Ukraine.
‘On her house there was a mark for artillery strike,’ he said.
‘I don’t know if the mark has been rubbed off, but there were people dressed in regular clothes and they were walking around marking for artillery to strike.’
Also demonstrating was Vlada Kren, who is from Ukraine, but now lives in Edinburgh.
Speaking at the protest, the 40-year-old said: ‘World, please help.
‘Don’t wait for Putin to attack you, because if it’s as easy as it’s been for Ukraine, I am pretty sure he won’t stop at Ukraine, he will attack the rest of the world.
‘We need real support, not just words.’
In London, hundreds gathered calling for Putin to withdraw from Ukraine in demonstrations outside the Russian embassy in Kensington, west London, as well as Downing Street on Saturday afternoon.
Waving flags, banners and placards, protesters sang the Ukrainian anthem and chanted ‘Putin stop war’, ‘Putin go home’ and ‘free Ukraine’.
Eggs were hurled at the Russian Embassy and walls in Kensington Palace Gardens were covered in chalk-written messages, splattered eggs and fake blood.
The protests come on the heels of other demonstrations around the world in the past few days, including in Russia itself.
Thousands of anti-war protestors have defied warnings from Russian authorities to voice their anger against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine with more than 1,600 being arrested for their actions.
Russia-Ukraine war: Everything you need to know
Fierce fighting has broken out in Kyiv as Russian forces descend on Ukraine's capital city.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the Ukrainian army to overthrow the democratically-elected government in a chilling TV address.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the conflict as a ‘catastrophe for our continent’, and imposed a fresh sanctions package that personally targets Putin.
However, the President has shown no signs of de-escalating anytime soon.
- Putin ‘has sights beyond Ukraine’ as Russian forces amass on Polish border
- Live interactive map shows where Russia is attacking Ukraine
- How many nuclear weapons does Russia have and how does it compare to US?
- Man who fled Ukraine on foot says conscripts are dragged from families
- Russian platoon 'surrenders saying they didn't think they had been sent to kill'
- Maps reveal how much of London would be vapourised in a nuclear attack
- Why do Russian tanks have a 'Z' symbol on them?
Follow Metro.co.uk's live blog for rolling coverage of conflict as it happens.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/BpDOe3l
0 Comments