Anti-war demonstrations were held in many European capitals, where landmarks were lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag on February 24 as the world marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, and the National Theatre in Warsaw were among the European monuments illuminated in blue and yellow. In Berlin, activists placed a wrecked Russian tank in front of the Russian Embassy, and crowds observed a moment of silence at Tallinn's Freedom Square, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg joined a ceremony for the fallen.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also observed a moment of silence in front of Downing Street, where two singers dressed in traditional Ukrainian vyshyvanka shirts sang the Ukrainian anthem.
Several protests also were held in Yerevan in support of Ukraine. A group of Ukrainians, Russians, and Armenians gathered in front of the statue of Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko to protest the war. Another demonstration was organized near the Russian Embassy in Yerevan.
WATCH: Ceremonies were held on February 24 in different cities in Ukraine and across the world on the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
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Ceremonies Across The World Mark First Anniversary Of Russian War On Ukraine
In Belgrade, about 20 activists headed to the Russian Embassy but were stopped by police from delivering a skull-shaped cake that they said illustrated the result of Russian policy and the occupation of Ukraine.
In addition, they brought a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting his surrender to the international court investigating war crimes committed in Ukraine.
More than 1,000 people also took part in an anti-war march in central Belgrade organized by the Ukrainian Embassy. Participants waved Ukrainian flags and the flags of the United States, Germany, Denmark, and other countries backing Ukraine while shouting "Glory to Ukraine," "Long live Serbia," and "Death to fascism."
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Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Volodymyr Tolkach said Ukraine seeks to restore peace and punish those responsible for crimes. He thanked Serbia for "increasing its support" for Ukraine.
EU Ambassador Emanuel Giaufret and U.S. Deputy Ambassador John Ginkel also took part in the march. Ginkel said Serbia had shown its support "where it counts," citing its help in the humanitarian effort for the people of Ukraine.
A long Ukrainian flag was spread across at the main Republic Square as people laid flowers in memory of the victims of war in front of the Ukrainian Embassy.
A somber ceremony was held in Geneva outside the United Nations office, where ambassadors from countries backing Ukraine observed a moment of silence.
The representatives of France, Canada, and Britain embraced their Ukrainian counterpart, Yevhenia Filipenko, who wore a vyshyvanka under her jacket.
"It is important that Ukrainians know that the world remembers them, that the world will speak about the Russian's atrocities, Russian's war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine," Filipenko told reporters.
Jerome Bonnafont, France's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said the anniversary was an opportunity to highlight the Ukrainian people's incredible resistance.
"We are here to commemorate a tragic day, the beginning of the invasions of Ukraine by Russia, but also, a day where a resistance that we all admire began," he said.