A protester holds up a Ukrainian flag at Trafalgar Square during one of the protests
(Picture: REUTERS)Thousands of protesters gathered in central London on Monday night against the war in Ukraine.
Russians angry at their president Vladimir Putin joined forces with Ukrainians and people of many other nationalities in Trafalgar Square.
It was the second night they took part in rallies holding up placards with messages like: “Russians do not want the war”.
Organisers had planned the Stand With Ukraine demonstration from 6pm on Monday.
One protester was seen holding up a Ukrainian flag.
Remarkable atmosphere at Trafalgar Square tonight. Plenty of anger at Putin, but also massive amounts of defiance and hope. #SlavaUkraini pic.twitter.com/RJCrbb2eUB
— Christopher Willetts (@cgwilletts) February 28, 2022
A woman finger painted the national flag on another’s face in support of Ukraine.
Yesterday Maria Divid, 35, who has lived in the UK for 14 years but is originally from Moscow, said she and her fellow Russians are “absolutely devastated and ashamed”.
She said: “We did not want this war.
“We are absolutely devastated about what our country is doing in the 21st Century.”
Ms David said hardly any of her friends support President Putin and she is proud of her 69-year-old mother back in Moscow who has not been “zombified” by his propaganda machine.
“Putin is really the worst thing that has happened to Russia.
“With him, there is no future for Russia. We want him out,” she said.
So so moved by the anti-war demonstration in Trafalgar Square, the national anthem is beautiful and so are the people I met.
— roscoe (@japanduran) February 28, 2022
Slava Ukrani. 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/NJzP1XOPYJ
Andrei Postylyakov, 35, who is from St Petersburg but has been in the UK for just a month, said attending the protest is “the least I can do” adding that he is “frustrated and very sorry” about what is happening in Ukraine.
“It is a shame that we have lots of friends and our people are brothers and sisters so we are ground together with Ukrainians.
“It is a crazy thing happening now and it is like a nightmare.
“It should be stopped as soon as possible.”
Trafalgar Square this evening. 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/mft2CKCV5l
— Spotted Portsmouth (@Spotted_Pompey) February 28, 2022
He also described how his friends in Russia are unable to go out into the street to protest without going to prison.
“It is hard to protest in Russia because there is a war inside which is aimed against its own citizens.”
“But we want to fix our country and make it grow without Putin,” he added.
Sophie, 24, whose family comes from Moscow and did not want to share her last name out of fear of repercussions, said: “This is not what Russia wants.
“This is not for the benefit of Russians.
“In the UK, we have the freedom to come out here and say what we want to say.
there are protests in support of Ukraine every day this week at 5/6pm in trafalgar square!!! pic.twitter.com/agufS6guzl
— Rhys (@supercut0fus) February 28, 2022
She added it is therefore “important” for Russians abroad to “come out and stand out against the war because if you say nothing you are complicit.”
“Russians and Ukrainians, we are sisters, we are brothers, we are neighbours,” she said, adding that her family feel “anger”, “shame” and “devastation”.
Dasha, 33, who also was nervous to share her last name, explained how she is attending protests with dozens of other Russians in the UK who met over a messenger app group that was first set up when opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained last year.
She said: “This is unbelievable. We are all in shock. It is heartbreaking. We do not have our country anymore.”
She called the Kremlin “miserable”, adding: “They do not have hearts because they bomb their best friends.
“It is absolutely crazy.”
