Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday called on institutions and citizens around the world to turn off the lights on Dec. 21, as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine, which is fighting the Russian invasion.
The campaign, dubbed #LightUpUkraine, calls for the lights to be turned off in support of Ukraine, which has been hit by blackouts due to Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.
The initiative is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Ukraine (6 p.m. in Lisbon).
In the middle of the Christmas season, landmarks from all over the world, such as New York’s Rockefeller Center, London’s Trafalgar Square or Paris City Hall, are expected to join the initiative, according to a statement from the Ukrainian government. quoted by the Efe bureau. .
This campaign also aims to raise at least $10 million (approximately €9.4 million) to finance the purchase of 1,000 electrical generators to enable the operation of Ukrainian hospitals.
In a call for solidarity, Zelensky underlined that when power outages plunge people into darkness for hours, it means that the enemy wants to take away not only the light, but “everything that is part of the life” of civilians.
“This is how we live now in Ukraine, defending ourselves against an enemy who came to destroy us”he stressed.
“We need your support. For all doctors who have to operate in the dark. For all fathers and mothers who do their best to give their families what they need, even in the dark. For all Ukrainians who believe in freedom despite the darkness”emphasized Zelensky.
The city of Kiev and ten regions of Ukraine were hit by power cuts this Monday, following a new spate of drone strikes by Russian forces, Ukrainian operator Ukrenergo reported.
In recent months, Moscow has attacked electricity infrastructure, leaving millions of Ukrainians without electricity, a situation worrying over the winter.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24 caused at least 6.5 million internally displaced people and more than 7.8 million refugees to European countries, so the United Nations classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II World War (1939-1945). ).
Currently, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The UN presented 6,755 civilian deaths and 10,607 wounded as confirmed since the start of the war, underlining that these numbers are far below the real ones.
Source: DN
