Around 300 People Gather For Pro-Russian Rally In Cypriot City Of Larnaca

A rally in support of Russia, organized by the Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots in Cyprus and local activists, took place in the Cypriot city of Larnaca on Saturday

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2022) A rally in support of Russia, organized by the Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots in Cyprus and local activists, took place in the Cypriot city of Larnaca on Saturday.

The rally started with a car caravan demonstration. More than 50 cars with Russian flags and St. George ribbons - a symbol widely associated with pro-Russian protests - drove through the city to the accompaniment of the USSR anthem and Soviet patriotic songs "Katyusha" and "The Sacred War." Then, around 300 people - both Russian-speaking residents of Cyprus and Greek-speaking people - gathered for a rally on the central embankment of the city.

"Russia, which the world refused to hear out for many years, took a step forward to protect not only its country, culture and history, (to fight) against the destruction of everything Russian, but also for the freedom of the whole world," the leaders of the movement said in a statement.

According to activists, Russia is trying to restore global justice and protect "traditional values.

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"Russia has challenged the world's evil. It is restoring justice and peace, defending the traditional values that are shared by billions of people on the planet. And now Russia is alone against this 'global evil,' which has never been held responsible for the wars in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, Vietnam and Korea," the leaders of the demonstration added.

This is the second rally in support of Russia organized in Cyprus. The action took place without violations of public order and in compliance with all the rules for holding public actions and the sanitary requirements of the country.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.