Wrecked Russian tank, skull and silence mark war anniversary

A wrecked Russian tank put on display in Berlin a bloody cake with a skull on top of it left in a Belgrade street and Ukraines yellowandblue flag held aloft in the sizzling Bangkok sun were among the memorials stunts and ceremonies held across the world Friday to mark the anniversary of Moscows fullscale invasion of its neighbourThe rusting T72 tank was placed outside the prominent Russian Embassy building on the German capitals Unter den Linden boulevard The tank was struck in the Kyiv region in the early stages of the war which began on Feb 24 2022It was taken to Berlin by a private group which said that the Ukrainian defence ministrys Military History Museum loaned it Destroyed Russian armour litters parts of Ukraine after months of battlefield setbacks for the Kremlins forcesThe whole world should see that there are many people in Germany who stand behind Ukraine so thats why were putting the Russians scrap tank in front of their door said Wieland Giebel of the Berlin Story group who was one of the exhibits organisersIn Serbia whose government has maintained friendly relations with Russia and has refused to join Western sanctions designed to punish Moscow for its invasion police moved in to stop a group of antiwar activists from reaching the Russian Embassy in the capital BelgradeThe activists wanted to hand over a demand for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be put on trial for genocide in Ukraine They left a cake covered with red icing representing blood and with a skull on top of it on the pavement near the embassyUK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stepped outside his office at No 10 Downing Street joining Ukraines ambassador and some Ukrainian soldiers being trained in the United Kingdom for a minutes silence in commemoration of those killed in the fightingKing Charles III issued a message lauding the remarkable courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people Moscow planned no special events for Friday as most Russians took a nationwide day off amid an extended public holidayAlso read On Russian invasion of Ukraine anniversary EU pledges more support for refugeesAs part of authorities relentless effort to prevent any sign of dissent police in some areas visited activists homes to warn them against trying to stage any demonstrations The commemorations of a grim year for Ukraine spread as far as Asia As well as peace rallies in Tokyo and Seoul Ukrainians living in Thailand gathered outside their embassy in BangkokAbout 50 people many of whom were wearing national colours sang the national anthem as an embassy official raised the flag Several wept during a speech by the embassys charge daffaires in which he urged them to stay strongIliana Martsenyak originally from the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv which has been pummelled by Russian barrages wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke of how the anniversary made her feelHonestly I cannot find any words to describe how me and every single Ukrainian feels today because of this absolutely irrational cruel and awful war that has been brought to our land she saidThe group marched to a nearby city park holding Ukrainian flags and protest signs aloft The group stopped at the library of Lumpini park largely in silence as a mother embraced her young daughter and others stared resolutely into the distanceSome of the anniversary commemorations began Thursday evening when the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Portuguese parliament building in Lisbon were lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag The Sydney Opera House followed suit on FridayA vigil took place in Londons Trafalgar Square organised by the Ukrainian and US embassies and 461 paper angels were hung from the roof of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London to commemorate each Ukrainian child that has died in the past yearOther events were scheduled for later Friday across EuropeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever