Sweden names park next to Russian embassy Place of Free Ukraine
Sweden will name part of a park where the Russian embassy is located as the Place of Free Ukraine, in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the city of Stockholm states. Anna Konig Jerlmyr, mayor of the Swedish capital, said that the decision was made on Thursday due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“It will be a lasting symbol of Stockholm City’s solidarity with the Ukrainian people and an important signal against the actions of the Russian regime,” said Konig Jerlmyr in a Facebook post. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist claim is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.
Sweden’s decision to rename the park follows the name changes of places by several other countries to show support for Ukraine. The Latvian capital Riga had renamed the street where Russia’s embassy is located to Independent Ukraine Street, while Vilnius, in neighboring Lithuania, renamed its Russian embassy street to Heroes of Ukraine Street.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced Sweden and its neighbor Finland to consider whether their long-standing military neutrality is still the best way to ensure national security. The two countries will jointly express their desire to join NATO in May, the tabloid newspapers Iltalehti in Finland and Expressen in Sweden reported on Monday, citing sources close to the matter.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)