Thousands of people demonstrated in several European cities today, protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a year since the start of the war. From Britain to the Baltic states, many leaders attended commemorations, reiterating their “unwavering” support for Kiev and honoring the victims.

A minute’s silence was observed by the crowd in Freedom Square in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, where the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, were present.

In London, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also observed a minute’s silence outside Downing Street while two singers, wearing traditional Ukrainian shirts, sang the Ukrainian national anthem.

In Berlin, a city that became the symbol of the Cold War, a total of 13 demonstrations were organized: eleven in favor of Ukraine, one in favor of peace and one against sending arms to Kiev. The largest of these demonstrations, organized under the slogan “we will never forget”, gathered about 8,000 people, according to police estimates.

A solidarity rally was also organized at the Berlin international festival, with the participation of dozens of artists, including the president of the jury, the American star Kristen Stewart.

In western Germany, between the cities of Osnabrück and Münster, around 18,000 protesters formed a human chain for peace, holding each other’s hands for a long time.

In Bucharest, several hundred people, mostly Ukrainians, marched to the Russian embassy, ​​chanting slogans such as “Crimea is Ukrainian”, “Russia, terrorist” and “Stop the war”.

In Sofia, about a thousand people gathered outside the presidential palace, holding Ukrainian flags.

Demonstrations were also held in Warsaw and Bern while in Geneva diplomats from around 30 countries gathered near the United Nations building and observed a minute’s silence. In Tbilisi, Georgia, nearly 30,000 people gathered in front of the parliament, singing their country’s and Ukraine’s national anthems. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke via video link to Georgians and thanked them for their support.