UK: Ukrainians rally in Belfast; seek continued support for Kyiv in war against Russia

Five months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, scores of people have gathered in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland to support war-ravaged Ukraine. As the Russia-Ukraine war continues unabated, several hundred Ukrainians have appealed for continued support for their nation, waving Ukrainian flags and placards with slogans. Along with the large crowd of Ukrainians, supporters marched to City Hall chanting "Please support Ukraine", BBC reported. They even carried signs reading "stop the genocide in Ukraine" as they walked through Belfast's downtown. 

Nataliya Kobzenko-Bingham, who was born in Dnipro and has spent the last 12 years residing in Belfast, was quoted by the BBC as saying that their primary message was that the fight has not ended and that the nation still required assistance. She stated that the Ukrainian community wanted "to remind people that the war in Ukraine is not over", BBC reported. She said that the situation is still very dangerous around Ukraine and all cities are at risk of bomb attacks every day. 

Ukrainians in Northern Ireland group is raising money to provide assistance to Kyiv

Meanwhile, the Ukrainians in Northern Ireland organisation have been raising money to provide assistance to the war-torn country. According to a report by the Independent, a fundraising campaign for relief, including all-terrain ambulances and jeeps to rescue citizens on sometimes treacherous damaged roads and to provide necessities like water and food, is being organised by the Ukrainians in Northern Ireland group. 

Besides this, Peter Jennings, a man from Northern Ireland’s Londonderry city who had received a medal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and was one of the organisers, sent a lorry load of aid to the nation, BBC reported. 

While speaking at the march's conclusion at City Hall, Oleg Shankaruk, the head of Ukrainians in Northern Ireland, thanked the authorities for their cooperation so far. He asserted, “We want to say a big thank you to everyone in Northern Ireland”, the Independent reported.  

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to do all in his power to inflict Russian invaders as much as possible. Zelenskyy, speaking at his regular nightly video address, praised the Day of Ukrainian Statehood, which he had declared the previous year. The president said, "Ukrainians will never give up their independence. And they will not break from the inside as has happened more than once." 

Zelenskyy even brought up the forthcoming annual holiday on July 28 and highlighted that it will be a significant week since it will be observed during what he called the "cruel war." 

(Image: AP/@KarenDouglas_NI/Twitter)