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.

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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