War in Ukraine inspires protest in Chile

PTI, Apr 10, 2022, 10:32 AM IST

Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Chile’s capital of Santiago on Saturday to denounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Protesters unfurled a large banner featuring the colours of the Ukrainian flag. The group included Ukrainians living in Chile.

Some protesters lay down on the ground and clutched stuffed animals to honour child victims of the war. A large banner read, “Stand with Ukraine.” “We want to be united at this time with our children, with our families,” said Alina Prus, a Ukrainian living in Chile. “Several of us have our families who are now living the horror of what war means.” Another protester, Dária Gryshko, said many Ukrainians living in Chile have family or friends living both there and in Russia.

“It is painful to see how families break up, how relationships break up, when opinions are divided within a family,” she said. “Because the people who live in Russia are exposed to a lot of propaganda, even when you show them video of what is happening now, they don’t believe, because they don’t come out from their TV.”