Today, February 24, 2024, the Embassy of Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in Slovenia held a peaceful march and rally to commemorate the victims of Russia's military aggression on the second anniversary of the start of russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. The event began with a peaceful march through the central streets of Ljubljana, during which the Ukrainian community and friends of Ukraine held a picket at the Russian embassy and protested russia's genocidal policy towards Ukraine. Activists installed a symbolic cross with a photo of Putin near the russian embassy, symbolizing the death brought by the russian terrorist regime. At the diplomatic mission of the aggressor country, speeches and calls for an immediate end to the war and the killing of Ukrainians were heard.

During the march, demonstrators carried Ukrainian symbols, flags, bracelets, self-made posters, as well as the 10-meter Ukrainian flag, which is a symbol of Ukrainian indomitability.

The commemorative rally began on Congress Square with the performance of the national anthems of Ukraine and Slovenia, after which the video address of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the anniversary of the beginning of Russian aggression was shown.

This year, the President of Ukraine addressed the audience from the city of Gostomel, where at the very beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian troops repelled a number of waves of russian landing forces, which aimed to capture "Kyiv in three days".

An extremely pleasant gift for Ukrainians was made by the President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar, who recorded a poignant video in which she sang our national song "Oh, in the cherry orchard..." in Ukrainian and posted it on her official Facebook page. The video was shown during the rally - https://cutt.ly/2wNhervV 

Speeches were made by an activist of the Ukrainian community in Slovenia, head of the Ukrainian public organization "Together" Yevhenii Goreshnik, as well as a temporarily resettled Ukrainian citizen from the city of Kharkiv, Iryna Bondarenko, who saw with her own eyes all the horrors of russia's war against Ukraine.

An incredibly emotional recitation of the poem "About Dad" was performed by a representative of the Ukrainian community, Roksolana Oleshko. The Chairman of the Slovenian Forum of Young Politicians Srecan Veljanca also spoke in support of Ukraine, and explained why Ukraine should continue to be supported in the military, financial, and humanitarian aspects.

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia Andriy Taran addressed the audience with a speech, expressing his gratitude to the Government of Slovenia, representatives of the diplomatic corps, volunteers, and all ordinary citizens who support Ukraine during these extremely difficult years of struggle against the Russian aggressor.

The Ambassador of Ukraine invited all those present to honor the bright memory of our fallen compatriots, whose lives were cut short by Russia with a moment of silence.

The ambassador also noted that the struggle for independence, freedom, and the future of Ukraine continues. "I call on all of you to believe in Ukraine and to act in the name of democracy and freedom," concluded the Ambassador of Ukraine.

As a sign of solidarity and support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, the event was attended by high-ranking representatives of the political leadership of the Republic of Slovenia, in particular the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Damir Črnceč, the State Secretary for Foreign Policy of the Office of the Prime Minister of Slovenia Vojko Volk, the Chairman of the Deputy Group of Ukraine-Slovenia Friendship of the State Assembly Dejan Premik, Deputy Mayor of Ljubljana Dejan Crnek.

Addressing the participants of the event with a speech, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia D. Chernecs assured of Slovenia's strong and unchanging position in support of Ukraine, expressed his confidence in the victory of Ukraine and the restoration of a just peace."Slovenia has supported Ukraine from the very beginning, because it stems from its historical experience in 1991. Our war was short and successful. Today, Slovenia is a democratic country. This is the starting point for understanding what is happening in Ukraine today. Slovenia will continue to support Ukraine. This war could end today or tomorrow if the russian president withdraws his army from Ukraine. And then negotiations on compensation for the damage will begin," the State Secretary noted - https://cutt.ly/5wNhth3c 

The official part of the event ended with a speech by the State Secretary for Foreign Policy of the Office of the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Vojko Volk, who expressed support and solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, assured of the unquestionable support of Ukraine from the Slovenian Government and the Slovenian people.

"When a permanent member of the UN Security Council does not respect the fundamental principles on which global stability is based, it signals the end of the world order created after the Second World War. But Ukrainians fight resolutely, with dignity and courage. Their struggle is our struggle. Slovenia will continue to support Ukraine," the State Secretary emphasized - https://cutt.ly/3wNhtYAM 

The rally in support of Ukraine ended with a joint performance of the unofficial national anthem of Ukraine, a song that has become famous all over the world - "Red viburnum". The song was performed on stage by the a cappella choir of the Ukrainian community in Ljubljana "Tree of Freedom".

In addition to official representatives of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the event was attended by foreign ambassadors, numerous representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Slovenia, representatives of Slovenian state institutions, in particular the Office of the President, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia, representatives of the Ukrainian community in Slovenia, Slovenian journalists and publicists, representatives of Slovenian universities.

The event was covered by leading Slovenian media - https://cutt.ly/uwNhyg5H , https://www.rtvslo.si/svet/vojna-v-ukrajini/v-ljubljani-in-drugod-po-evropi-shodi-v -podporo-ukrajini/699415 , https://www.sta.si/3271957/v-vec-evropskih-drzvah-shodi-ob-obletnici-vojne-v-ukrajini ,