WATCH: Ukraine's Flag Raised at European Parliament Headquarters in Brussels as Even Russians Protest Putin’s Invasion
By Craig Bannister | February 28, 2022 | 2:16pm EST
With support for Ukraine swelling worldwide as Russia’s invasion continues to rage and ravage, the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels raised the Ukrainian flag alongside its own.
Not only has the invasion of Ukraine prompted protests and opposition from nations around the globe, but it has even inspired thousands of Russians to take to the streets to condemn the attack, Bloomberg reported Saturday:
“By Thursday night, the Colosseum in Rome lit up in blue and yellow, colors of the Ukrainian flag. The European Commission building in Brussels did, too, as well as Downing Street in London and the Reunion Tower in Dallas, Texas.”
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“From San Francisco to Hong Kong to Istanbul, people have come out in droves to protest the invasion, chanting “stop the war” and holding up posters with messages like “Hands off Ukraine.” Thousands of Russians also took to the streets and squares of Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities, to condemn President Vladimir Putin for his decision to attack what they often referred to as their ‘brotherly nation.’”
World Class Boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko Takes Up Arms Against Russians in Ukraine
Vasiliy Lomachenko, a former world champion and Top 10 pound-for-pound boxer, has joined his country’s Territorial Defense Forces to help Ukraine fight off the Russian invaders.
Lomachenko, 34, posted a pic to Facebook on Sunday in which he could be seen wearing a military uniform with a rifle.
According to ESPN:
The 34-year-old was in Greece when the invasion began, and his flight home to Ukraine on Friday was delayed due to air traffic being grounded. He flew into Bucharest and traveled through Romania on Saturday to reach his home outside of Odessa to be with his family.
Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs), a former three-division champion, is closing in on a June 5 fight in Australia against undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos, a title bout that would be televised on June 4 in the United States on ESPN. Lomachenko agreed to his side of the deal earlier this month.
Lomachenko is not the only Ukrainian boxer who has taken up arms in defense of Ukraine. Hall of Fame former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who is the mayor of Kyiv, has remained in the capital city and joined the reserve army along with his brother and fellow Hall of Famer and former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Heavyweight boxing champion, turned Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, talks to AFP journalists at his office in Kyiv on February 10, 2022. (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
“We are so proud of our boxers, our real champions in boxing and champions in this war,” Mykola Kovalchuk, president of WBC Ukraine, told ESPN. “We are proud to be Ukrainians.”
PHOTOS: Californians Rally for Ukraine, Against Putin
Californians have held rallies in major cities across the state to support the people of Ukraine as they resist the invasion launched last week by Russian forces at the command of President Vladimir Putin.
Demonstrators gather to rally in support of Ukraine in Santa Monica, California, on February 27, 2022. (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)
Though outgunned and outnumbered, the Ukrainian forces have shocked the world by holding out against the Russian invaders, who are attempting to use a four-pronged attack by land, air, and sea to overrun Ukrainian forces, take the capital city of Kyiv, and overthrow the government.
Demonstrators march during a rally in support of Ukraine, in Santa Monica, California, on February 27, 2022. – Dressed in the blue and yellow of Ukraine’s flag hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets worldwide Sunday denouncing Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. From Berlin to Baghdad, from Washington to Saint Petersburg, demonstrators chanted “shame” against Russian President Vladimir Putin while others waved banners with slogans like “Putin murderer” or “stop the monster.” (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)
Rallies were held in both Los Angeles and San Francisco on Saturday, and in Santa Monica on Friday. The Los Angeles Times reported:
Waving signs that said “Stop Putin,” about 100 Ukrainian Americans and Russian Americans opposed to the invasion kicked things off about 10 a.m. with a march through Hollywood. Residents of apartment buildings along Hollywood Boulevard waved and shouted messages of support from their balconies to the group, which included several families with young children.
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In Westwood, Ukrainian flags flapped in the breeze as drivers along Santa Monica and Sepulveda boulevards honked in support of dozens of demonstrators who had gathered there, waving signs and chanting “Save Ukraine” and “Glory to Ukraine.”
Most of the demonstrators were Ukrainian Americans, but there were also people from Latvia, Lithuania, Taiwan, Iran, Greece and Bosnia.
Demonstrators protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
The San Francisco Chronicle noted:
On Saturday afternoon, [Nina] Kozhokaru and her family joined hundreds of others in the plaza across from San Francisco’s Ferry Building to express rage and sorrow at the invasion of their home country and demand more action from the U.S. and other Ukrainian allies against Russia. Kozhokaru stood, crying and wrapped in a Ukrainian flag, as her 6-year-old daughter held a sign painted with a blue and yellow heart and the words “Grandma in Kharkiv.”
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On the third day of Russia’s military action in Ukraine, hundreds of Ukranians alongside supporters from other countries, including Russia, rallied in San Francisco to call for Western allies to step up sanctions against Russia as Russian troops pressed closer to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. The rally with an open microphone lasted nearly four hours. Many who spoke reiterated that they felt Ukrainians were fighting not only for themselves and their country, but against further westward initiatives by Russia.
Demonstrators march during a rally in support of Ukraine, in Santa Monica, California, on February 27, 2022. – Dressed in the blue and yellow of Ukraine’s flag hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets worldwide Sunday denouncing Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. From Berlin to Baghdad, from Washington to Saint Petersburg, demonstrators chanted “shame” against Russian President Vladimir Putin while others waved banners with slogans like “Putin murderer” or “stop the monster.” (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)
The Santa Monica Daily Press reported:
Scores of Ukrainians and their supporters rallied in Palisades Park at the foot of the Santa Monica Pier in support of the besieged Eastern European nation on Friday afternoon, Feb. 25, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a full-scale military invasion of the country.
“As we’re standing here in this beautiful California sun, my nephews and nieces back in Ukraine, who are like two years old and eight years old, are in bomb shelters with their parents, and there’s nothing I can do from here to directly protect [them],” a woman named Olga — who said she was a Ukrainian citizen — told the crowd gathered at Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue. She urged Americans to request Western governments impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, cut Russia out of the SWIFT international banking system and send military arms to the Ukrainian Army.
“The Ukrainians are not just fighting for themselves; they’re fighting for the entire democracy of the world,” Olga said. “We need to help them win this fight.”
The battle continues, with NATO sending arms to Ukraine and SpaceX founder Elon Musk sending terminals to activate his Starlink satellite Internet system at the request of Ukrainian defense officials.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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