TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A rally was held by foreign residents in Taipei on Friday (Feb. 25) to protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Nearly 50 people from Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, and other countries staged a rally in front of the Moscow-Taipei Coordination Commission on Economic and Cultural Cooperation (MTC), Russia's de facto embassy in Taipei on Friday afternoon, according to CNA. The protest started with Ukrainian resident Alex Khomenko, who on Thursday (Feb. 24) went by himself to the location at the intersection of Xinyi Road and Keelung Road to wave a Ukrainian flag and hold a sign which read "Russia out of Ukraine."
He then posted a photo of himself carrying out the protest and wrote that he would return on Friday at 2 p.m. to "support my country." The post quickly went viral gaining 4,744 likes and 781 retweets.
Word quickly spread on Friday and Khomenko was soon joined by dozens of other protesters carrying placards with messages such as "Stand with Ukraine," "Support Ukraine," "Support Peace," "No War," "Russia Out," and "We're all Ukrainians today." A woman who was identified by her Chinese name Bei Na (貝娜), told the news agency that the war had not yet reached her hometown, but she is worried that it will soon be affected.
She said that she is especially concerned about her brother, who is a soldier in the Ukrainian army. Out of fear of Russian monitoring of their communications, she says that she is very careful about what she says to him, but is glad to know that he is still alive.
A 29-year-old Ukrainian named Ruslan told the news agency that he supports the Ukrainian army in resisting the aggressors and hopes that Europe can support Ukraine, because "Putin will not stop." He warned that if NATO and the UN stand by and watch Russia invade Ukraine, they will make Putin think they are powerless and he will begin to invade other former Soviet countries.
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I will be back here on Friday 2/24 at 2 pm to support my country
Xinyi and Keelung roads. Join me if you want to show your support. pic.twitter.com/Ijc2GvghBp
— Alex Khomenko (@akhomenko) February 24, 2022
