MORE than 1,000 people in St Andrews joined together to make a powerful statement in support of the people of Ukraine.
Forming a visible line in the sand, the group put on a display of opposition against the aggression of the Russian government.
The act came in response to a direct call to action from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
President Zelenskyy said: “Come from your offices, your homes, your schools and universities. Come in the name of peace. Come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, to support freedom, to support life.
“Make yourselves visible and heard. Say that people matter, freedom matters, peace matters.”
On West Sands beach, protesters gathered with Ukranian flags and sunflowers, the national flower of the country.
Staff, students and other members of the community also gathered at the University of St Andrew’s Lower College Lawn in another sign of solidarity.
The crowd listened to the stories of Ukrainian students, hearing how the war was affecting them, as well as their friends and families at home.
Lesia Vasylenko, Ukrainian MP for the Globos party, said: “Thank you to everyone for coming out and standing up with Ukraine today. At such times these acts of solidarity are heard loud and clear in Ukraine and we are grateful to all who come out and support us in our nation’s moment of need.
“St Rule brought the bones of St Andrews to the beaches of Fife, the western end of Europe, and his church still stands in Kyiv, in the eastern end of Europe.
“Your solidarity and our common humanity means that although at opposite ends of our shared continent we stand closer together than ever before.”
It has been 36 days since this current invasion of Ukraine began, in which a quarter of the country’s population has fled their homes.
There is fresh hope from further evacuations from the besieged city of Mariupol today, as the government send dozens of buses after Russia declared a one-day ceasefire in the area.
Florian Reichelt, a St Andrew’s student who attended yesterday’s event, said: “I think that during this horrible time for Ukrainians, any signal of support, no matter where or how is crucial to create pressure on our governments and lift the spirits of those that are so bravely fighting at the frontlines.”
