On June 21, Ukrainian supporters in Kyiv, Lviv, The Hague, Brussels, Toronto, New York, Valensia, Milan, Vilnius, Canberra, London, and Sydney took part in the first global flashmob to protest against Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Euromaidan activists and Ukraine supporters brought funeral wreaths to honor the victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine. According to the press-secretary of the Ministry of Defense Vladyslav Seleznev, to date, over 150 military servicemen were killed during the Anti-terrorist Operation (ATO) against Kremlin-backed militants in Eastern Ukraine, and the number is higher taking into account mortalities in the National Guard and Border Control. Over 200 civilians have been killed, including 14 children.
Activists coordinated their protests to bring attention to the fact that despite overwhelming evidence of Russia’s involvement in the violence, with many “foreign fighters” being Russian nationals and terrorists themselves openly acknowledging Russian “support,” the international community has been hesitant to both announce Russia’s involvement and respond accordingly, and is even treating Russia as an interested party at the EU-Ukraine trade agreement.
“How many more deaths will be needed to acknowledge that Russia has started war in Ukraine and Putin must be stopped now?” asked the participants of the protests from the international community.
Using the hashtag #StopPutinNow, the flashmob activists demand that NATO buy the two Mistral warships which France is insisting on selling to Russia and for third-level sanctions to be imposed immediately upon Russia. They also ask for lifesaving equipment including medical equipment and body armor to be supplied to the Ukrainian Army, and for all cooperation and business assisting Russia’s military and police modernization, armament and expansion to cease. Apart from that, they call for the visa regime with Ukraine to end as soon as possible, and the predatory behavior of Gazprom, which violates EU anti-monopoly legislation and WTO rules to be investigated. They expect that strict money-laundering controls for all money coming out of Russia and Belarus be applied, and visas of the leading anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian propagandists of Russia’s regime be revoked.
Many photos and videos can be found on the event’s facebook page.
The press release can be found here.
