In the US capital, the Ukrainian community held a counter-protest at the World War II Memorial against the "Immortal Regiment" rally organized by Kremlin supporters. The Ukrainian diaspora and activists strongly opposed Russia's attempt to use the memory of the victory over Nazism to justify the current war against Ukraine.
This is the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion that such an event has been allowed to take place in Washington. Participants in the Ukrainian treaty condemned the use of historical memory as a tool to manipulate and cover up war crimes.
Activist Marichka Hlyten, a member of the Ukrainian Cultural Front DC initiative, who was among the organizers of the protest, told Vilni Media about the events. According to her, the participants held placards with the words "Never again?", "The world sees Russia's crimes - do you?", "Ruzzia kills children" and urged Americans not to remain indifferent. The rally was held under the flags of Ukraine and the United States, with slogans in defense of truth, justice and historical memory without distortion. "We have come to remind you that those who once fought against fascism have no right to remain silent while Russia commits new crimes against humanity," she said.
The Svitanok civic initiative also joined in organizing the action. In their statement, the organization's representatives emphasized that while the Russian army is killing civilians in Ukraine every day, its supporters are marching in the heart of America with Soviet flags, portraits, and open support for the Putin regime. "Under the guise of 'honoring memory,' they are demonstrating their true purpose - the glorification of imperialism and violence. We will not tolerate this. It's everyone's responsibility to tell the truth, to resist the lies and to prevent history from being rewritten. We will not be silent. We will not forget. There is no place for Russian propaganda in America," the statement said.
Svitanok.nyc activist Oleks Taran noted that this action was not just a reaction, but a principled response to demonstrative cynicism. "Russians, who see the crimes of their own army every day, have the audacity to come out with Soviet symbols in the capital of the country that is helping Ukraine to survive. As a result, we actually disrupted their event - Ukrainians surrounded the demonstrators at the World War II Memorial and forced them to limit their action in the shadow of our truth," he said.
At the same time, Taran added that a serious challenge came not only from the organizers of the "Immortal Regiment", but also from some representatives of the Ukrainian community. According to him, some so-called "pseudo-activists" deliberately obstructed the protest, violating the instructions agreed with the police and complicating the organization of the event. "At a time when Ukrainians should be united in the face of the aggressor, we are faced with internal sabotage - systematic, targeted and repeated. It is shocking. You cannot call yourself part of the Ukrainian movement and at the same time block the efforts of those who are really fighting on the front lines of the information front," he stressed.
The "Immortal Regiment" event gathered more than 100 participants and was the first coordinated pro-Russian march in Washington in six years. It had not been held before due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and since the invasion began in 2022, it has not been permitted by local authorities.
Photo: Photo: Benjamin McJackson, Oleks Taran, Svitanok.nyc
Author: Danylo Pievchev