Protesters in D.C. demand Russia 'stop its genocide'
STORY: Among those who spoke during a rally at the Lincoln Memorial were Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor Jr and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power.
Markarova noted the 365 days of "horrible atrocities" and "war crimes" committed by Russia against Ukrainians, but said she preferred to use the day to honour "heroic" Ukrainians who continue to defend the country's independence and freedom.
Russian protester Olga Petrova told Reuters she believed this year people have hope and certainty “that Ukraine will win, because we can see that Ukraine is winning already with the use of all the support from the U.S. and Europe.”
The demonstrators also marched to the White House and then the Russian ambassador's residence, where chants of “shame on Russia” and “stop your genocide” bellowed from the crowd.
The United States marked the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday with $2 billion in weaponry for Kyiv and new sanctions against Moscow aimed at undermining its ability to wage war.
Russia calls its actions a "special military operation" and denies committing war crimes.
