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“No more bloody 'struggle for peace’!”: Spontaneous memorials appear in Russian cities on anniversary of Ukraine invasion
On the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine – February 24, 2023 – spontaneous memorials with flowers appeared in Russian cities in memory of the civilian victims of the war. Support for Ukraine was expressed across multiple global capitals – the Eiffel Tower in Paris was illuminated with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, while in Berlin, candles were used to form the peace symbol. Citizens across Europe and the US took to the main squares of their cities with posters condemning the Russian invasion and Ukrainian flags. In Russia, however, similar actions can now lead to charges of “discrediting” or “spreading fakes” about the army. In most cases, Russians left flowers, toys, and photos of destroyed Ukrainian houses near monuments and left, but some cities saw protest actions and single pickets. Some of the spontaneous memorials were controlled by police officers ready to detain Russians who disagreed with the war.