On September 28, Ukrainians in Cyprus and anti-war Russians took part in a protest organized by the Community of Ukrainian-Cypriot Friendship against the celebration of the so-called «annexation» (in reality — occupation) of Ukrainian territories, which was arranged by the «Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots of Cyprus» and the «Cypriot Society of Russophiles» in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia.
The protesters greeted the small number of «Russian World» supporters with yellow and blue flags, banners with messages in Greek and English, chanting «Luhansk is Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia is Ukraine, Kherson is Ukraine, Donetsk is Ukraine, Crimea is Ukraine,» and «Annexation is not celebration.»
The posters reflected outrage at the cynicism of the Russians, who held the «celebration» just a few kilometers from the occupied part of Cyprus, which has been a painful issue for the country for 50 years.
«This is not ‘annexation,’ but a bloody invasion with thousands of victims and destroyed cities.» «Such ‘celebrations’ are completely immoral — it’s dancing on graves. The people who lived and still live there curse Russia,» the protesters said.
Their numbers far exceeded those attending the pro-Russian «celebration» in the center of a European capital.
The organizers are grateful to Vlada and Kostyantyn Liberov for allowing the use of their photos for the posters.