Thousands worldwide continue to protest against Russia, show solidarity with Ukraine

By Anadolu Agency Staff

ISTANBUL/AMSTERDAM/MOSCOW/KYIV/BRUSSELS/BELGRADE/WASHINGTON (AA) - Thousands of people worldwide continued to protest against Russia and show solidarity with Ukraine while demanding an end to the war, with more demonstrations held Sunday.

Mass protests were held in the Netherlands, Serbia, Taiwan, Turkiye, Ukraine, Belgium, Russia and the US.

In Belgium, nearly 5,000 people took part in a march in solidarity with Ukraine in the capital Brussels.

During the march, protesters called on Russia to stop the war and demanded that Western countries give more support to Ukraine.

Hundreds of people in the Serbian city of Novi Sad and the capital Belgrade showed solidarity with Ukraine during protests in which Russian nationals living in the country also attended. Protesters shouted slogans such as "Peace in Ukraine!" "Long Live Ukraine!" and "Stop the War!”

Anti-war activists and Ukrainian citizens in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul also gathered to protest against Russia. Demonstrators shouted slogans against the war and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the Netherlands, meanwhile, hundreds of people including Ukrainians who fled the country over Russian attacks held protests in the capital Amsterdam. During the protests in Dam Square, Ukrainian refugees also addressed the crowd, decrying Russia’s war on their country.

Thousands of people in Russia also gathered for an unauthorized demonstration.

Masses of people took the streets in nearly 50 cities, especially in the capital Moscow and St. Petersburg, following a call by Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

More than 2,500 protesters were arrested by police, according to unverified reports by Russian opposition groups.

In Ukraine, people continued to protest against the war despite intense military clashes across the country, with demonstrations taking place in the cities of Yuzhnoukrainsk, Nova Kakhovka and Novooleksiivka.

Ukrainian nationals living in Taiwan gathered in the capital Taipei accompanied by citizens of various countries.

Carrying banners that read "Stop the war,” “No to the war,” and “Stop Putin," they called for more support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and also for a boycott of Russian products and cutting business ties with Russian companies.

In the US capital of Washington, D.C., over 1,000 people gathered near the White House to express their solidarity with Ukraine as the war neared two weeks.

The protestors called for end to Russian aggression and implementation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, a matter the US and its allies reject due to fear of a direct conflict with Moscow.

They were carrying Ukrainian flags and banners saying "Putin is a war criminal," "Long live Ukraine," "Help Ukraine" and "No-fly zone."

Speaking at the event, Ohio Senator Rob Portman praised the resistance of the Ukrainian leadership and people and called on Moscow to end its aggression.

"Putin severely underestimated the power of freedom and the power of the Ukrainian people," said the Republican senator.