Members of Stirling’s Ukrainian community took part in a ‘silent picket’ in the city centre on Tuesday following the breaching of a dam in the south of the country.
The Nova Kahkovka dam was destroyed over recent days, causing water to surge towards several cities and towns in the south of the war-torn country, including Kherson.
It is described as a crucial resource for the region, with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky claiming in the aftermath of the incident that up to 80 towns and villages may be left flooded as a result.
Mr Zelensky has blamed Russian forces for the destruction of the dam, with Moscow turning the blame for the incident on Ukrainian shelling.
In response to the dam’s collapse and with the waters of the river Dnipro continuing to cause major issues in the south of the country, a small group of protesters took to Stirling to protest Russia’s role.
The group claim Russian forces have committed a “great crime” and say the undermining of the dam could lead to an “ecological disaster” for the affected Kherson region, as well as causing a shortage of drinking water in the southern areas of Ukraine.
After a survey to a local group set up for Ukrainians living in Stirling, the ‘silent picket’ was arranged for 5pm on Tuesday evening, with the protesters carrying posters and marching from Lower Bridge Street into the city centre.
The event’s organiser, Anna Yanenko - who is originally from Chernihiv - told the Observer: “I was very pleased that people were interested, sympathised and supported our country.
“The purpose of our protest is to convey to the world what Russia is doing - it kills people, animals and destroys the ecosystem.
“Only by uniting together will we be able to defeat them.”
Another of those in attendance is Karyna, who moved from Kherson to Dollar with her four-year-old daughter at the beginning of the conflict.
She says the dam’s destruction has caused massive destruction in her home region,
Karyna added: “This explosion has already been called the worst man-made disaster of the 21st century.
“A huge amount of water with the speed of the flow of the Niagara Falls began to flood the settlements along the Dnieper. To date, about 100 settlements have been partially or completely flooded, the water height in some places reaches 3.5 metres, some houses are completely flooded.
“The water comes quickly, there is little time to evacuate, so many people simply did not have time to do it and remained blocked, waiting for rescue on the roofs of their flooded houses.
“People lost everything: housing, property, pets, which simply drowned in a huge amount of water.”
