Hundreds rally in Paris ahead of fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

• Around 1,000 rally in Paris to show support for Ukraine ahead of Russia invasion anniversary.

Around 1,000 people gathered in central Paris on Saturday to show their support for Ukraine, just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to journalists at the scene.

Waving Ukrainian flags and holding placards, demonstrators chanted slogans including “We support Ukraine against Putin who is killing it” and called for the seizure of frozen Russian assets to aid Kyiv’s war effort.

Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament and leader of the Place Publique movement, addressed the crowd and said public backing for Ukraine in France had remained strong since the invasion began on February 24, 2022.

“There has been massive popular support for Ukraine from day one of the full-scale invasion,” he said. “However, voices of capitulation are growing within the French political class. On the far left and the far right, these voices are becoming louder.”

Among the protesters was Iryna Kryvosheia, a Ukrainian national who has lived in France for several years. She said she was grateful for the turnout, describing it as a reminder that “what has been happening for four years is neither normal nor acceptable.”

Kryvosheia said she remains in daily contact with her parents in Kyiv, who recently endured several days without heating, electricity or running water following heavy Russian bombardment of energy infrastructure.

François Grünewald, head of the NGO Medical Aid for Ukraine, recently returned from a month-long mission in the country. He said the organization has delivered around 40 power generators since the start of the year to help communities cope with ongoing strikes targeting civilian infrastructure.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Tens of thousands, and possibly hundreds of thousands, of people have been killed on both sides, and millions of Ukrainians have fled the country.

Moscow currently controls roughly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and continues to carry out daily strikes on civilian areas and critical infrastructure, contributing to what officials describe as the country’s most severe energy crisis since the war began.