About a hundred Ukrainians protested against the ongoing escalation of military conflict in Avdiivka, Donetsk region. The activists gathered near the Ukrainian Embassy’s building; they held photos of the recently deceased warriors and chanted anti-Russian and anti-war slogans. They sang ‘Plyne kacha’, the requiem song for those perished during the Revolution of Dignity and the ongoing Donbas conflict. Several Italians also joined the rally, and some drivers honked and waved protesters to express their support.
There is a lot of police guarding public order during the rally; the situation is under control, TV channel’s reporter said.
The continuous outbreak of violence in Avdiivka keeps on claiming lives of both Ukrainian soldiers and militants; even civilians found themselves under extremely strong artillery fire – they get wounded and killed, too. The state of emergency was declared on January 31 in Avdiivka; people face humanitarian crisis due to heavy shelling that critically damaged infrastructure objects, cutting civilians from electricity, water supplies and heating systems. Rescue teams, local authorities, volunteers and law enforcement agencies deliver the civilians food, water, warm clothes, medicines and other items of first necessity.