Thousands of people gathered in cities across the world on Saturday to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Residents of Kherson, the southern Ukrainian city currently under Russian control, took to the streets to demonstrate against the presence of the Russian troops.
Russian soldiers fired warning shots but the protest continued.
Several thousand people also gathered in Paris at the Place de la République, to show their support for Ukraine and to demonstrate their opposition to the Russian invasion.
In the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, demonstrators made a human chain connecting the embassies that sit on the UN Security Council and demanded an end to the war. Some 29,000 Ukrainians currently reside in Portugal, making it one of the largest foreign communities in the country.
Maria Joao, a Portugese pensioner, said that she was here because of her own experiences of war, “I am here out of solidarity and also because what is happening makes me very sad. I also went through this kind of situation when I had to leave Angola (after the 1974 revolution in Portugal and subsequent independence of Angola in 1975), so I understand very well the situation of these Ukrainian women and children. That is why I am here.”
Protesters in London’s Trafalgar Square demanded support for Ukraine. Speakers addressed the crowd and lead the demonstrators in “stand with Ukraine” and “air defence for Ukraine” chants.
Similar scenes were observed in Rome, as thousands filled the streets on Saturday afternoon, waving flags, holding banners and with speakers’ declaring their solidarity with Ukraine and their desire for the war to end.
In Zurich too, thousands of people protested through the streets to the city centre demanding an immediate ceasefire, diplomatic negotiations and the withdrawal of Russian troops.
Over in Asia, crowds convened in Tokyo shouting “Stop war, protect lives” while some held signs that read: “We stand with Ukraine.” and held up images of the Russian President which read “Stop Putin!”