One year on: Numerous events to mark anniversary of invasion

Demonstrations, marches, speeches and commemorations will take place across the country in support of Ukraine today

Feb 24, 2023

Today it’s been 365 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The somber occasion will be marked across the country in the form of demonstrations, torchlight processions, speeches, music and commemorations in support of Ukraine.

In Copenhagen, a high-profile service by Parliament will be held at 10:00 in Holmens Kirke church this morning. Among the speakers are PM Mette Frederiksen and Ukraine’s ambassador to Denmark, Mykhailo Vydoinyk. The Crown Prince couple will be in attendance.

“Today we remember a day that none of us really want to remember. A year of war in Ukraine. On 24 February 2022. Early in the morning. Putin began his meaningless attack on Ukraine. War returned to Europe,” wrote Frederiksen on Facebook.

“ In a split second, life changed for millions of Ukrainians. Green fields turned into trenches, schools to ruins, cities to battlefields.”

Ukraine House opening
The Ukrainian flag will fly at the main entrance of Parliament and when darkness descends on the city, Christiansborg will be illuminated in yellow and blue in honour of Ukraine.

Similar services and events will take place in Aarhus, Odense, Roskilde, Helsingør and all across Denmark.

Later in the day, the occasion will be marked at City Hall in an event involving Frederiksen, Vydoinyk and mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen.

Following that, culture minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt will be on hand to assist in the opening of the new Ukraine culture centre in Copenhagen: Ukraine House. Read more about that here.

A demonstration will then take place in front of the Russian Embassy on Kristianiagade 5 at around 16:30 to protest their invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will speak via video link at the demonstration. Frederiksen will also have a speech.

Then at 19:00, there will be a solidarity event for Ukraine at Enghave Plads. Among the speakers will be Vydoinyk again – no doubt a busy and emotional day for the ambassador.

“Among our friends, there is Denmark. A small country with a very big heart. Dear friends, we will never forget what you have done and continue to do for us. When in the first days of war, Ukrainian flags flew all oer Denmark as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine,” Vydoinyk said at Holmens Kirke this morning.