Manchester City Centre came to a standstill today as there was a huge turnout in solidarity with Ukraine one year and one day after the country was invaded by Russian forces. The positivity and togetherness on show through music and chants were emotionally charged as people still feel the pain of parts of their country being under occupation.
Men, women, and children wrapped themselves in the yellow and blue of Ukraine as the flags of Azerbaijan and Hong Kong were also held high in a show of solidarity. More than a thousand are thought to have joined the march from Piccadilly Gardens down Market Street with the huge crowd then gathering around the Queen Victoria statue in Piccadilly Gardens for speeches and songs.
Religious leaders, chairs of the association of Ukrainians in Great Britain groups, and more led the crowd, young and old, as they marked the harrowing milestone of the conflict. These rallies are held every Saturday but this one held extra significance leading to the much larger turnout - with mixed emotions felt throughout.
READ MORE: Ukrainian refugees thank Greater Manchester on anniversary of Russian invasion
Maria Romanenko, 30, fled the Kyiv region with her Mancunian partner, Jez Myers, in the days after the invasion. She has since helped fellow Ukrainians who've settled in Greater Manchester to get to know the city with walking tours and much more. Despite the positivity and solidary, it is still very much a sad day, Maria told the Manchester Evening News.
"It's a sad day because of the reasons we are here. But it's great to see such a huge turnout. We really didn't expect to see so many, definitely over 1,000, we loved seeing that.
"It's all about reinstating the message that Manchester and the rest of the UK needs to keep supporting us. We had pictures on display from Ukraine showing the devastation so that people can see that this is still going on.
"The amount of support we got was really good to see. It wasn't just Ukrainian flags but Hong Kong and Azerbaijan and more which shows how united people are against the Russian threat. It's more important we show solidarity more than ever.
"We are not going to go away, we will keep going until we win. It was a difficult milestone to take, one year since the invasion and nine years of Russian aggression, but we will keep going."
Maria added that they are all hopeful that the invasion can be ended this year with Russian forces completely out of Ukrainian territory. "We want a return to the pre-2014 borders. It won't be a victory until that," she said.
"We all hope for it so much this year. I can't wait to go back and see my family and friends and walk on my streets again, I've never been away from home for more than a year."
Until then rallies will continue to be held to plead for more support from the west until victory is achieved. The more than 161,000 Ukrainian refugees who moved to the UK sustain the support of much of the country, with marches and rallies like today's showing exactly where Manchester stands.
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