Last weekend in Limassol, Cyprus, a protest rally was held in front of the honorary consulate of the Russian Federation to celebrate the anniversary of the «reunification with Russia», i.e. the attempted annexation of the territories of Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, informs Ukrinform..
This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the website of the Ukrainians of Cyprus Ukrcy.news. Hundreds of concerned Ukrainians from all over Cyprus gathered at the protest to demonstrate their indignation at the «celebration on the bones». The event was also attended by local media, Cypriots, and representatives of various diasporas, including «Russians Against the War» under blue-white-and-blue flags, who support Ukrainians in their struggle.
The protesters held banners with photo works of the Liberovs’ spouses (famous Ukrainian military photo reporters) and chanted in Ukrainian, English, and Greek: «Lugansk is Ukraine! Donetsk is Ukraine! Crimea is Ukraine! Zaporizhzhya is Ukraine! Kherson is Ukraine!». There were also chants of «Glory to Ukraine! — Glory to Heroes!». The activists «decorated» the fence of the Russian consulate with grave crosses, a coffin for Putin, and a mourning wreath.
The peak of the protest was a performance: five girls in embroidered vyshyvankas, wreaths of calamus, with their hands tied with the Russian flag, symbolized the temporarily occupied territories of five regions of Ukraine. On an emotional high, the participants of the action traditionally sang «Red Kalina» and the Anthem of Ukraine. As a result, the event, organized by the Ukrainians of Cyprus, demonstrated the unity of the Cypriot diaspora with the Motherland.
In turn, the Russian organizers of the provocative action of «celebration» of Russian aggression, probably having learned about the Ukrainian protest event, suddenly changed the location and moved it from Limassol to the capital Nicosia. The hour-long gathering of Rashists under Russian flags took place outside the Russian Center for Science and Culture. Along it were placed «for a few days» banners titled «Welcome Home» and a map of the captured territories, which justified and glorified Russian aggression.
As reported, on September 30, 2022, a ceremony was held in the Kremlin to «incorporate into Russia» the puppet entities of the «DNR» and «LNR», as well as the territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions of Ukraine seized by the Russian army, which caused widespread international outrage. Russian President Putin signed the law on adding the day of the «annexation» of the four Ukrainian regions to the list of «Days of Military Glory of Russia».
