Ukrainians gather in Valletta to mark one year since Russia’s invasion

On Friday evening, a rally calling for peace in Ukraine was held outside parliament.

A flash mob "living map of Ukraine" gathered in Freedom Square in Valletta with as participants held lit flashlights to reproduce the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

After the flash mob, a procession through Valletta was held with a big Ukrainian flag.

The event was held on the first-year anniversary since Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine, by launching a full-frontal assault on several of its main cities: including the capital, Kiev.

Many expected a quick Russian victory resulting in the imposition of a puppet government in Kiev which would have brought Ukraine back in Putin’s sphere of influence.

It was the heroic fight-back and resilience of ordinary Ukrainians led by the charismatic President Volodymyr Zelensky in the early days of the war, which stopped this from happening.

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One year later, it is clear that the attempt to overthrow Ukraine’s legitimate government has failed. Not just in the military sense – though Russia’s failure in that department is clearly evident – but also, in the very objectives that the invasion had set out to achieve.

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