'Glory to Ukraine': hundreds of thousands march against Russian invasion

France 24 ^ | Issued on: 27/02/2022 - 17:56 Modified: 27/02/2022 - 17:54

[Zhang Fei]

Dressed in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukraine flag and bearing posters crying "No World War 3", hundreds of thousands of people descended on the streets Sunday in solidarity with Ukraine as it battles the invading Russian army.

From Berlin to Baghdad to Quito, demonstrators chanted "shame" against Russian President Vladimir Putin, while others waved banners with slogans like "Putin murderer" or "stop the monster".

In the German capital, police estimated turnout at at least 100,000, while Prague drew 70,000 and Amsterdam 15,000.

Organisers of the Berlin protest put the numbers at five times the police estimate, with demonstrators massing at the Brandenburg Gate, a stone's throw away from the imposing Russian embassy on major boulevard Unter den Linden.

Although the embassy -- in which Russian diplomats not only work but live -- was cordoned off by police, some protesters gathered in front shouting "glory to Ukraine" and singing Ukrainian songs.

"It is important to me for Germany to show that it is standing for democracy in Europe," said Hans Georg Kieler, 49, who had turned out at the demonstration.

He voiced approval for Germany's decision to begin delivering armaments to Ukraine, but said he thought "we could have helped Ukraine more".

Ukrainian Valeria Moiseeva was also at the march.

"I am personally disappointed by Russia, I hate Russia, I hate all Russians," the pregnant 35-year-old said, adding that her mother was now sitting in a cellar in Kyiv in fear of bombs.

'Madman'

In Prague, tens of thousands gathered at the central Wencleslas Square, including Roman Novotny, who had to travel around 300 kilometres (186 miles) to get to the protest from Uherske Hradiste in the southeast of the country.

"We all have to do our best," he told AFP, carrying a banner slamming Putin.

[WMarshal]

"We need to join this Ukraine parade or we will get run over by it in the midterms and Trupm in 2024. Guaranteed."

Spoken like a true quisling.

[Zhang Fei]

[You Zhang Fei are a deep state troll and I trust you implicitly.. /s]

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No trust needed. My take is that Putin is an invade-the-world, invite-the-world imperialist - he’s just the Russian version. Every other European country got the memo after 1945 that 1.) imperialism was dumb and self-defeating, doubly so if you are trying to cobble together an empire within Europe, 2.) starting intra-European wars is the greatest crime against humanity imaginable.

Russia wants buffer states? Why doesn’t Germany get buffer states then? Why doesn’t France get buffer states? Buffer states are for Russia’s security? Seriously? Do you think that Napoleon is going to mass his troops in Poland and march on Russia? Those days are over. Russia is 4x the size of its European neighbors *combined*. It has all the security it needs, and has had it for the last 80 years. This has f***-all to do with their security. They just want to tell their neighbors what to do, and are willing to get people killed for the privilege.

[Vaden]

And now it seems infested with Putinists who favor a despot over the people of Ukraine. I’m not a neocon, I don’t support endless wars and military adventurism either.

[caww]

Not one single American should die in Ukraines war.....not one!

[caww]

Can you comment other than copy and paste the same thing over and over?

[caww]

Ukraines problem...not ours.

[WMarshal]

Sorry but your profile page is the definition of a neocon. A wacky liberal who became a Republican. Here is your profile proving it.

"I once was lost. But now I’m found.
After growing up in rural Virginia with relatively conservative values I found myself entering adolescence confused and seeking answers. Most of my family were Greatest Generation Democrats but they wre not leftists and I always regarded myself a Democrat. Entering college in Virginia threw me for a loop and I came out as far left liberal as they come. I thought I had “found” something in my newfound “knowledge.” I went into liberal warrior mode trashing everything,"

Your own words neocon. A fish doesn't know it's wet.

[Vaden]

And the nonstop smearing of anyone calling out Putin’s evil and aggression with the refrains “neocon!” and “you want American boys to die!” needs to be halted too.

It isn’t true.

[Paul R.]

They took a slower approach primarily because they botched up the initial operations, and, they expected to be greeted as liberators and were instead met with determined resistance including by civilians. Also, the Ukes started blowing bridges and such to slow the advances.

Have you seen the vids of tanks getting heavily firebombed with Molotov cocktails? It makes Maidan look like a picnic. I doubt Molotov cocktails will stop a tank, but those Russian soldiers have to be wondering about such fierce resistance.

That all said, reports are of a 17 mile long Russian convoy approaching Kiev. IF the Javelin deliveries arrive in time, that’s gonna be quite a battle. I don’t know if any of the MIG’s donated(?) to the Ukes can punch through or not.

Now, as for the US just blowing up everything, that’s nonsense. The US was HIGHLY selective when we went into Iraq. Arguably that was a big part of the problem: We drove out Saddam’s army, but convinced no one we would smash a city.