Ukrainians Sing National Anthem
The recent news coming out of Ukraine has shocked the world. In the early hours of February 24th, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to invade Ukraine. The scale and style of the invasion is something we all hoped belonged to the history books. Attacks have been reported, videoed and verified across the entire country.
Donetsk is in the Eastern region of Ukraine, not far from the Russian border. As the attacks were announced by the Russian President, the people of Kramatorsk took to the city center to sing the Ukrainian national anthem. This powerful song and passionate performance is a display of unison from the Ukrainian people in the face of very worrying events.
Western world leaders have been condemning the actions taken by Russia and have introduced economic sanctions to try and squeeze the Russian economy.
#Ukraine : In the city of Kramatorsk, #Donetsk region, people are singing national anthem on the square. #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/VNplcfWnRK
— Lala-fawwaz (@Fawaz_lala) February 23, 2022
War is one of the most difficult things a country can endure. History has consistently shown that music has been used by soldiers and citizens to help cope with the stress, life issues and trauma that war inflicts on everyone involved. Even in conflicts many hundreds of years ago music has been used.
In a tweet uploaded by “World Affairs” Twitter account, you can see people in Ukraine hiding away from the conflict in a bunker singing as a girl plays the guitar. Using their phones to light up the space, the spirit of these people is incredible.
Sheltered Ukrainians sing hopeful songs as war rages on Ukraine #Ukrainian #Ukraine #singing pic.twitter.com/XOE6z1ulwh
— WORLD WAR 3 – RUSSIA vs Ukraine #2022 (@WW32022) February 25, 2022
Anti war protests have broken out across multiple different countries including Russia where over 1,000 people have been arrested for their efforts – this number is still rising. People in Poland have also been videoed singing the Ukrainian national anthem showing their solidarity with the Ukrainian people through music.
The streets in #Poland are filling up in support of #Ukraine. They are singing the anthem of Ukraine was sung in Warsaw.#RussiaUkraineConflict #RussiaUkraineCrisis pic.twitter.com/xVeKWyG6mA
— Mick Ross (@mickster) February 24, 2022
On Tuesday February 24th, President of the United States Joe Biden said, “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences.” He then announced the economic sanctions the US would impose in unison with the European Union and NATO on Russia. The sanctions target Russian sovereign debt, and Russian elites and their family members. Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, will be severed from the US financial system, restricting the bank’s access to transactions made in the American dollar.
Washington Post uploaded the video below with the caption, “Activists in Kharkiv, Ukraine held an annual vigil on Feb. 22 to remember those who have been killed in the country’s years-long conflict with Moscow-backed separatists. But this year it took on added meaning, as Russian forces moved into eastern Ukraine.”