The Russian Anti-War Community strongly condemns the Victory Day ‘festivities’ that took place on May 9th at the Molos promenade in Limassol and considers them a poorly disguised attempt to justify the atrocities committed in Ukraine by the Russian army. For over 20 years, V. Putin’s regime has transformed Victory Day into a celebration of military and fascist sentiment, using it to create a narrative that Ukraine is a ‘fascist’ and a ‘non-existent’ country, despite it being a sovereign state with the right to determine its own future. Given the fact that PACE has recently declared Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, any pro-Russian activities and events can only be perceived as ‘gears’ in V. Putin’s propaganda machine.

On May 5th, the Russian Anti-War Community has sent an open letter to the Limassol Municipality, signed by various representatives, proposing a ban on displaying all symbols typically used by the Russian government and its supporters, including the Ribbon of Saint George, and the letters ‘Z’ and ‘V’ at public gatherings. Similar letters have also been sent by representatives of the Ukrainian and Lithuanian diasporas residing in Cyprus, but the Victory Day ‘festivities’ still regretfully proceeded as planned.

The representatives of the Anti-War Community, together with members of the Ukrainian and Lithuanian diasporas, protested at the Limassol Town Hall on May 7th, demonstrating that support for the war in Ukraine has no place in Cyprus. On May 9th, they also participated in an impromptu protest near the Victory Day ‘festivities’ at the Molos promenade, displaying the white-blue-white flag, commonly seen as a flag of Russian anti-war movements and communities worldwide, to support the immediate retreat of Russian forces from Ukraine and full reparations paid to Ukraine in the aftermath.

The Russian Anti-War Community expresses its gratitude to the Limassol Police for protecting the representatives of all diasporas who participated in the protests on May 7th and May 9th. In solidarity with the Ukrainian embassy in Cyprus, the Community reiterates that pro-Russian actions cannot be allowed in Cyprus or any other EU country and commits to continuing its opposition to any expressions of ‘ruscism’ in Cyprus. We call on Cyprus municipalities to carefully review any events with ties to Rossotrudnichestvo or the Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots in Cyprus — the former organization is placed on the EU sanctions list. As such, any events with links to these entities can be disguised attempts to express support for the current Russian state.

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