Ukrainians and supporters marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion with a photo exhibition showing how once-thriving communities have been obliterated by the war.
Crowds marched through Bristol towards the exhibition chanting “every inch, every town, Ukraine stands, don’t back down”.
The event was organised by Antonina Grebeniuk, founder of the charity Ukraine Aid and Welfare.
“We are gathering today in honour of those who have fallen,” she said. “The nation is exhausted, we don’t want this war. It’s not our war.”
She said she created the event to ensure “Ukraine’s struggle remains at the forefront of international attention”.
The Lord Mayor of Bristol (centre) spoke at the event, which was organised by Antonina Grebeniuk (left) [William Maude-Roxby]
Captured by military photographers and Ukrainian media correspondents, the exhibition photographs show the war’s toll in Luhansk, Donetsk, Sloboda and southern Ukraine.
The Lord Mayor of Bristol gave a speech at the exhibition in Broadmead, praising Ukraine’s resilience.
Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have died in the conflict, which began on 24 February 2022, and large swathes of Ukraine have been destroyed.
Ms Grebeniuk said Ukrainians wanted to return to their home [William Maude-Roxby]
Ms Grebeniuk said all occupied lands should be returned to Ukraine.
“When we talk about territory, it’s not only kilometres of land or resources that are important to Putin or anyone else, it is about our home,” she said.
“We want to come back to the graves of our grandparents… We want to be reunited.”
Protesters march through Bristol despite the rainy weather [Collin Rayner]
Yulia Lychana has lived near Taunton in Somerset since the outbreak of the war, under the UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme for displaced refugees.
On 24 February 2022, she awoke in the middle of the night to the horrifying sound of missiles plummeting to the ground.
“For a moment I thought maybe it was a nightmare. Unfortunately, it was an awful reality,” she recalled.
Ms Lychana said she moved to the UK for a sense of “stability and security” but said it “was not an easy decision”.
Yuliia Shynkarenko’s father and step-father are both fighting in the war [BBC]
“We feel homesick because I think it’s impossible not to miss the life you had before,” she said.
“Stability is a hard thing when your heart is in two places.”
However, refugee Yuliia Shynkarenko, whose father and step-father are fighting in the war, said she remains hopeful, as Russia believed it could take over Ukraine in three days, but is still battling three years on.
“Even if the country is taken, our culture will never die,” she said.
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