Russians sing Ukrainian national anthem at rally near embassy in The Hague
As an Ukrinform correspondent reports from The Hague, the Russians were among those shouting "Glory to heroes!" and singing the anthem of Ukraine near the Russian embassy.
"We are ashamed. We want Ukraine to hold on and, of course, to win,” Russian Anastasia told Ukrinform.
During their speeches, the protesters, in particular, stressed that they have relatives in Ukraine, for whom they are very worried, and called on Russians to ignore intimidation and to protest demanding to stop the war in Ukraine.
"I am angry that one decision made by one person ruined life in many countries. He deprived [people] of the future, threatens the whole world. I do not understand why this is necessary. I look at the photos, read the news and I can't imagine that anyone in their right mind could assume that this will happen someday,” said Svetlana from Russia.
She also said that, fortunately, her friends and relatives in Russia are adequate, but most people who realize that Russia has attacked Ukraine are afraid to go to the streets and tell the truth. Especially after the events in Belarus, where the Lukashenko regime failed to win.
"Unfortunately, it is believed that people will come out and everything will change, but I've been protesting since 2011, I've been living in the Netherlands for three years, and nothing has changed. Reprisals only escalate. My friends are in prison. And now almost everyone I know is going to rallies. Most of them end up in prison. Some are released, some are not, some are forced to flee to other countries,” Svetlana added.
Several hundred protesters gathered in the center of The Hague to protest against the Putin regime and the war in Ukraine. Among them are Ukrainians, Dutch and citizens of other countries.
Many protesters were dressed in blue and yellow. They called on the Netherlands to terminate all business with Russia and to act decisively to stop the war.
Protests against the war in Ukraine are held daily in the center of Amsterdam as well.
On February 24, Russian president Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops are shelling and destroying infrastructure, conducting massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns using artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and ballistic missiles. Martial law was imposed in the country and general mobilization was announced. Ukraine filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federation at the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague.
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