Berlin/ TEH: Thousands of people demonstrated in the German capital, Berlin, on Wednesday, to protest against Russia’s war on Ukraine .
The demonstrators gathered in front of the Federal Parliament at the invitation of various Ukrainian groups, and raised Ukrainian flags and banners with phrases such as “Stop the war”, “Silence is violence”, “Ban instead of anger” and “Include Ukraine in the European Union”.
Demonstrators demanded that Germany and the European Union impose an embargo on Russia and stop gas and oil trade with Moscow.
The demonstration witnessed some protesters dyeing their faces red and tying their hands with white ribbons in order to draw attention to what is happening in Ukraine.
In a statement, seen by the Indian newspaper The Eastern Herald, the demonstrator Veronika Zakharchuk stressed the need for Germany and its advisor, Olaf Scholz, to see what is happening in Ukraine.
She pointed out that the Russian army kills, rapes and tortures Ukrainians, and pointed out that the red pigment on her face symbolizes the blood that was shed.
She said: “My family, relatives and friends see blood and corpses on the roads every day, and unfortunately Germany does nothing.”
In turn, protester Olina Platch stated that her family is still in Ukraine, and that the war there is making her feel pain.
“There is a need for an energy embargo against Russia, and the lifting of sanctions to another level,” she added.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine , which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of “tough” economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
To end the operation, Russia requires Ukraine to abandon any plans to join military entities, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and to adhere to complete neutrality, which Kyiv considers an “interference in its sovereignty.”
