Ukrainian nationals and their supporters held “Toward Victory” rallies in Taipei, Hsinchu, and Taichung on Sunday to show solidarity with Ukraine, as Russia’s invasion of the country enters its third month.
At the rally held in front of Liberty Square at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in downtown Taipei, dozens of people unfurled a 7-meter wide and 3-meter long hand-made Ukrainian national flag while singing the Ukrainian national anthem.
Speaking during the Taipei event, Alex Khomenko, a Ukrainian national from Kharkiv and one of the event’s organizers, said that resisting the Russian invasion, now in its 74th day, was “the first and last thing we [Ukrainians] will think of when we wake up and go to bed every day.”
Khomenko, a member of Taiwan Stands With Ukraine (TSWU), a volunteer organization founded in Taipei in response to the Russian invasion, said Sunday’s rally had been held to coincide with Victory in Europe Day, which marks the formal acceptance of Germany’s surrender to the Allies on May 8, 1945.
“The day marks the day peace returns to Europe 77 years ago when one country wanted to conquer others,” Khomenko said, noting that this year’s anniversary was overshadowed by Russia’s attempts to do the same.
As Sunday marked Mothers’ Day in Taiwan, Khomenko also said he and all Ukrainians and their supporters in Taiwan were heartbroken for all Ukrainian mothers.
Sharing similar concerns, the founder of the TSWU, a Taiwanese national who identified herself only as Jen, said that Ukrainian mothers and children are suffering from war, and called on the international community to take action over alleged incidents of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian troops in Ukraine.
Jen accused Russian soldiers of using rape as a weapon against Ukrainian mothers, children, and even young babies, and urged people to take a stronger stance against sexual violence in conflict zones.
According to the TSWU, the Ukrainian national flag was hand-made by a Lithuanian in Taiwan, Migle Matekunaite.
The organization said that Matekunaite and her Polish husband had been participating in events across Taipei to show support for Ukraine.
Matekunaite told CNA that it took her seven hours of work using a sewing machine to make the flag.
Similar events were held at the Hsinchu Train Station Square and at the Taichung Train Station Square on Sunday afternoon, according to the TSWU.
Kyiv has been resisting the advances of a Russian invasion force since Feb. 24, the day Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the commencement of a “special military operation” in Ukraine in pursuit of the “demilitarization and denazification” of the country.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel