Seems like every week a protest in support of Ukraine fills Duffy Square. So many I haven’t kept up. This one, however, caught my eye because it was Belarus vs Putin. But, I was confused, cause wasn’t Belarus siding with Putin? So WHO exactly was protesting on Sept 24, 2022 in Duffy Sq – NYC.
Belarussians Protest in Times Square, Putin’s Invasions.
But, I needed some info on “the Republic of Belarus :
“... a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. (…)[Wiki]
…” The European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States have all imposed sanctions against Belarus because of their rigged 2020 election and political oppression during the ongoing protests in the country. Further sanctions were imposed in 2022 following the country’s role in the invasion of Ukraine.” [Wiki]
- Biden said “the world has sent a clear message,” after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution telling Russia its annexation of four Ukrainian zones is illegal and not valid.
- Moscow’s deadly strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine continued Thursday, including a “kamikaze” drone attack on the Kyiv region and shelling of residential buildings in the southern city of Mykolaiv.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his plea for more air defense capacities Thursday as NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels, saying Kyiv has only about 10% of what it needs to combat Moscow’s blitz.
Flickr Slide Show
.video in Duffy sq
UPDATE (3 weeks later) re the Lukashenko, Putin drama:
With Putin under pressure, Belarus edges closer to joining war in Ukraine [Reuters]
LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) – “A flurry of military activity in Belarus this week has caught the attention of Ukraine and the West as a potential sign that President Alexander Lukashenko may commit his army in support of Russia’s flailing war effort in Ukraine.
Lukashenko has ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near the Ukraine border, and his defence ministry says “combat readiness” drills are under way. On Tuesday, the interior ministry held exercises to eliminate “sabotage groups” near Yelsk, only 20 km (12 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
France warned Belarus it could face more Western sanctions if it deepened its involvement in Ukraine.
Belarus allowed itself to be used as a launchpad for Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine but has not joined the fighting directly. “
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, global powers have picked sides and they have been pushing to isolate Russia. One nation that has stood unconditionally with Russia is its trusted ally Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin has constantly had Belarusian president Lukashenko‘s support even before the start of the Russian offensive. [WION you tube]
Oct 15, 2022 – Belarus Wavers as Putin Presses It to Join Ukraine War
“The country’s strongman, Aleksandr Lukashenko, finds himself in a bind. He survives with support from Russia, but entering the fight could be “political suicide.” [NY Times] “…two years ago after a fraud-tainted election, the Eastern European nation’s strongman leader, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, was propped up by the Kremlin, which sent security officers and money to support him. Today, eight months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Mr. Lukashenko’s Russian-enabled grip on power risks slipping as Moscow pressures him to get more involved in the faltering military campaign next door in Ukraine.“
Sadly, these protests do not seem to affect an end to war. Not with Putin in charge. Or, perhaps I just don’t have enough info.
[Where indicated, pictures and videos property of Pamela Hall-VSB]
.Police and protestors at one point fought over the use of barricades.
