Filenews 9 May 2022
Under the slogan "No to fascism, no to Russianism", an event commemorating and honoring the victims of the Second World War and the war in Ukraine was held on Sunday afternoon at the square of the old Port of Limassol.
Hundreds of citizens, most of them Ukrainians, observed a minute's silence, mixed their country's flags, said "Never again" holding placards with slogans and sang the famous Ukrainian folklore song "Red Vivourno" (Chervona Kalyna) which became a symbol of faith for their fight against the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Cyprus, Ruslan Nimchynskyi, also participated in the event, who expressed his pride in being Ukrainian, seeing the number of people gathered and noted that "we are united as never before".
Commenting on the presence of a European Union flag, he said that Ukraine has paid the price and deserves to become a member of the large European family.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Republic of Cyprus for the reception of the Ukrainian refugees who are forced to leave their country.
Moreover, as the organizers said in their speeches, 8 May is recorded as the end of the Second World War by the European Allies, while Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union celebrate the "Day of Victory" on 9 May.
While May 8, they added, was established as a day of remembrance and reconciliation, in Russia, May 9th is celebrated with military parades and a show of strength, while in recent years the slogan "We can repeat it" has been promoted.
"Self-admiration for the victory of the grandparents and the glorification of the nation of winners led to modern Russianism (Russian fascism), which with its war crimes against civilians and genocide, reminds us more and more of the Second World War," the organizers of the event said.
Among the millions of dead of WWII, they added, were 3 million Ukrainian soldiers who served in the armies of various allied countries, while more than 5 million Ukrainian civilians were killed.
Today, they concluded, Ukraine is again living the war and is the bastion that defends the civilized world against Russianism, in their expression.
CNA
