A few hundred Russians in the Netherlands protested this afternoon at the Russian embassy in The Hague.
“I am here first and foremost to support the people of Ukraine. But I also want to show that we as Russians are fighting,” says demonstrator Alex Gritsai at Omroep West. “We have also been fighting Putin for years and we ourselves hate the ongoing war.”
The demonstrators called on Russia to end war violence against Ukraine:
This afternoon’s demonstration at the Russian embassy was the second in 24 hours. Yesterday it was mainly Ukrainians who walked along, now it was Russians. Gritsai regrets that the demonstrations have not been combined. Although he can imagine it. “Many Ukrainians are dealing with a huge trauma. I can imagine that you don’t want to stand shoulder to shoulder with a Russian. There is a lot of pain, I also have family in Lviv, in Ukraine. I know the pain that they have. So I don’t expect us to immediately show solidarity together.”
Wrapped in Ukrainian flag
The demonstrators carried banners against the war in Ukraine, which lasted exactly one year yesterday. They also called for the release of those detained in Russia for demonstrating against the war and the policies of Russian President Putin. A number of demonstrators draped themselves in the Ukrainian flag this afternoon.
The demonstration was organized by Free Russia NL. This is a movement of Russian-speaking residents and citizens of the Netherlands, which arose in January 2021 when opposition leader Navalny was arrested in Russia. Until February 24, 2022, Free Russia NL had around 300 members. In its own words, the movement grew to 1200 members overnight after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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