On Sunday, thousands of women gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Vilnius to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Just one day after a spontaneous invitation by several famous Lithuanian women, thousands gathered in the Lithuanian capital, while similar women’s protests took place in other Lithuanian cities, said a press release by Go Vilnius.
The organisers said their goal was to encourage women around the world to stand with Ukrainians, who are being forced to live through pain and trauma caused by Russia’s war against their country.
They also hoped to appeal to Russian women to take an active stand against the unnecessary war, in which their sons, brothers, and husbands are being sacrificed in vain.
“I am a mother, and my heart is breaking witnessing what is happening. Today, we are supporting Ukrainian women and appealing to the hearts of Russian women,” said journalist Daiva Žeimytė-Bilienė, one of the protest organisers.
“They can help stop this madness. All they have to do is take to the streets of Russia and say out loud that “we don't want to fight, we don't want to bury our children,” she added.
According to Lithuanian TV anchor Živilė Kropaitė-Basiulė, Ukrainian women are inconceivably strong, but support is also very important for them.
“Ukrainian women have to send their husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers to fight in a war they do not deserve – a war that they could have never imagined in their worst dreams,” said Kropaitė-Basiulė.
“We want to show them that we understand and that we will do everything we can to make the rest of the world understand too,” she added.
The protest also inspired similar women’s protests in other major Lithuanian cities – Kaunas and Klaipėda.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
