Hundreds of people came to express their support in front of the Ukrainian embassy in Prague
“Ukraine has been occupied by the Russian army since 2014, and now there is a real risk that a war will erupt four hundred kilometers from our borders. Ukraine is a sovereign, free state and its freedom is our freedom. That is why we want to express our support for Ukraine, “say the organizers of the event on Facebook.
“Support for the international community is the most important thing for Ukraine today. The war has been going on for eight years, but if there is a major invasion, we will have to defend our country ourselves, “the Ukrainian ambassador told the assembly. According to him, Ukraine is aware that no one will go to the front line for it, so he thanked the country and its army for their support.
He added that he hopes that he will not have to use the artillery community that Ukraine has acquired from the Czech Republic. “Ukraine hopes that this conflict will be resolved in a peaceful, diplomatic way. But if the aggressors, the occupiers, come, we will defend ourselves. That is logical, “he added.
People moved from the Ukrainian embassy to the nearby embassy of the Russian Federation. Ukrainian testimonies and prayers were also heard.
I want to express my support by praying for Ukraine and for peace, which is why they are part of the program of prayer of clergy from different churches. The prayers will be led, for example, by the parish priest of the Czech Brethren Evangelical Church, Vymětala.
The event was also supported by MP Hayato Okamura (KDU-ČSL). The organizer Martina Hanusová thanked the Czech government for its support of Ukraine, the ambassador also recalled the recent trip of Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates) to the country. Pastor Tomas Trusina called on the government to support non-profit organizations operating in Ukraine and to accept the conflicts that have occurred.
The event was organized by the group Prayer for Ukraine. On Facebook pages, he states that this is a group of people who are united by the fact that they love Ukraine and are not indifferent to its fate, which can be the fate of the whole of Europe.
Russia, which annexed the Ukrainian Crimean in 2014 and carried out a pro-Russian separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine in the year, still denies that it intends to attack the neighboring country. Moscow rejected Western warnings of a possible Russian invasion as “hysteria” and “misinformation.”
However, the crisis between the West and Russia over Ukraine has forced several countries, including the Czech Republic, to call on their citizens not to travel to Ukraine and, if they are currently staying there, to consider leaving the country.