Ukrainians Rally outside Russian Embassy in Beirut
Ukrainian expats in Lebanon on Thursday staged a sit-in outside the Russian Embassy in Beirut to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which began at dawn.
“Stop Russian Aggression”, “No Putin No War” and “Putin is the Hitler of the 21st Century” read some of the English- and Arabic-language banners that were carried by the protesters.
“Putin stop the war!” they chanted.
"We do not want World War III to happen," said Suzan Jaramani, 27, a Ukrainian-Lebanese university teacher. "We just want peace. So leave us be and Putin, take your people and just go back to where you belong."
Lebanese security forces meanwhile took security measures in the area.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, forcing residents to flee for their lives and leaving at least 40 Ukrainian soldiers and 10 civilians dead.
Russian air strikes hit military facilities across the country and ground forces moved in from the north, south and east, triggering condemnation from Western leaders and warnings of massive sanctions.
"I have decided to proceed with a special military operation," Putin said in a television announcement in the early hours of Thursday.
Shortly afterwards, the first bombardments were heard in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and several other cities.
"Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.
Source: Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/288107 |