The Czech Republic will commemorate two years since the start of the war in Ukraine with meetings, marches, debates and concerts over the weekend. The Day for Ukraine will include a rally on Saturday in Prague’s Staroměstské Náměstí attended by President Petr Pavel, with a video message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Events will also be held throughout the day in other Czech towns.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022.
Pavel will meet Ukrainian war refugees at Prague Castle on Friday, and will also take part in a debate on the anniversary of the start of the invasion. On Saturday, he will speak at the Together for Ukraine rally at Staroměstské Náměstí, organised by the European Congress of Ukrainians, People in Need, Million Moments for Democracy, and Memory of the Nation.
Also on Friday, a group of 17 EU ambassadors will hand over anti-drone equipment to the Ukrainian embassy in Prague. This is a private initiative of the ambassadors, who bought the equipment with their personal funds. The equipment was manufactured and acquired in Lithuania, and is a portable weapon against EDM4S SkyWiper drones. It is to be used to protect Ukrainian officials.
“The aim of the event is to remind us that Ukraine still needs support, and that every bit of help counts,” the German embassy said in a press release.
The program for Saturday’s Day for Ukraine will begin in Prague with a concert for children and their parents at Forum Karlin. At 3pm the March for Ukraine will start from the statue of Taras Shevchenko at Kinsky square and continue to the monument to the victims of communism, and then via Charles Bridge to Staroměstské Náměstí, where a rally will begin at 4pm. In addition to Pavel, President Zelenskiy and Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenskiy are scheduled to address the crown via video message.
People who are helping Ukraine or who have received help will also speak, as well as representatives of all four organising groups.
The event will end with the reading of the Manifesto of the Memory of the Nation. “It is an appeal to European leaders to keep their promises and continue supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia, and to supply it with all possible ammunition,” Amalie Kovarova, a spokeswoman for the rally, told CTK.
She said the aim of the assembly was to show that the war is still a topic of interest to society, and that Czech solidarity can inspire other European countries.
“We must remain active and remind society that it is a long effort, but we are here and we are ready to persevere,” she stressed. The assembly is linked to other European events, and it is the European overlap that is important, she added.
In the evening, pop music bands will perform at Forum Karlin, including the Ukrainian band Love ‘n Joy. Proceeds from the entrance fee will be used to buy military medical kits, among other things.
Commemorative events and meetings will also be held in Litomerice, Ceske Budejovice, Frydek-Mistek, Plzen and Olomouc. In Brno, there will be a public gathering on Namesti Svobody, followed by an evening panel discussion.
