Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: Quentin De Groeve / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 9:00 p.m., February 24, 2024

Two years to the day after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, thousands of people demonstrated in France on Saturday to show their support for kyiv.

In Paris, Lille (north), Rouen (west), Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux (south), Strasbourg (east), Ukrainians and French people gathered.

Thousands of people demonstrated in France on Saturday to show their support for Ukraine, two years after the total invasion of the country by Moscow's troops, AFP journalists noted.

In Paris, Lille (north), Rouen (west), Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux (south), Strasbourg (east), Ukrainians, French people, often wrapped in the yellow and blue flag of Ukraine, gathered to express their solidarity but also their concern at a time when Kiev's forces, lacking weapons and ammunition, are in a very difficult position facing Russian troops.

>> Follow the evolution of the conflict here on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

A few thousand people marched in Paris

In Paris, a few thousand people marched between the Places de la République and the Bastille, in an imposing calm, sometimes broken by “Putin assassin!”

“Russia out of Ukraine!”

Among the demonstrators, some Russian opponents from the Russia Liberties association, and elected officials, such as the environmentalist senator Yannick Jadot.

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In Rouen, around 500 people gathered in front of the town hall and a wreath was laid in honor of the Ukrainian dead.

“Ukraine defends its sovereignty but also values, an ideal which are those of Europe. Yes, Europe is at war. We cannot remain spectators of this fight,” declared the mayor of the city, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol.

“Putin will not win, Ukraine will win,” said the mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, during a rally, before calling on France to “strongly increase its aid to Ukraine”.

In Nice, five hundred people marched on the Promenade des Anglais, according to the Franco-Ukrainian Association of the Côte d'Azur (Afuca).

"We shouldn't say it, but we are exhausted. Ukraine has been paying very, very dearly for two years. We have proven ourselves, now Europe must open its eyes and understand that this is not useful for nothing about seeking a compromise with Putin,” Irina Bourdelles, the president of Afuca, explained to AFP.

Toys placed in Strasbourg against the executions of children

In Toulouse, around 200 people gathered in front of a statue of the famous Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko.

“That we all find ourselves together, in a sort of communion, that helps us,” Savin Oleg, a 51-year-old Franco-Ukrainian who has lived in France for almost 30 years, told AFP.

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In Strasbourg, at least 300 people gathered in front of the Russian consulate, waving Ukrainian and European flags.

Around ten children went to leave red-stained stuffed animals in front of the consulate, while the demonstrators chanted “Putin terrorist!” and “Stop the war!”

or “Arm Ukraine!”

These toys are placed "as a sign of protest" against "the executions of Ukrainian children, against (their) forced deportation (...) to Russia, against (their) illegal adoption", explained Olga Kostenko, of the association PromoUkraïna, at the origin of the demonstration.

And in Bordeaux, several hundred demonstrators marched under the slogans “help Ukraine” and “arm Ukraine”.