The demonstration reflected Poland’s intense opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which saw Warsaw become one of Kyiv’s fiercest supporters and welcome millions of war refugees, the Reuters news agency reported.
Many protesters were wrapped in Ukrainian flags as they produced placards with the rally’s central slogan: “Russia is a terrorist state.”
Demonstrators cheered for Ukraine and its soldiers, chanted “Long live Poland,” sang the Ukrainian and Polish national anthems and called for the expulsion of Russian diplomats, state news agency PAP reported.
The protest attracted some 2,000 participants, according to organisers Euromaidan-Warszawa.
People rallied spontaneously after Russia fired dozens of cruise missiles on Kyiv and some 20 other busy Ukrainian cities earlier in the day, killing an estimated 14 civilians and disconnecting power and heat, according to Ukrainian officials.
The air strikes were the most widespread in months, demonstrating “the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had ordered "massive" long-range strikes after Saturday’s attack on a key bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, and vowed more strikes in future if Ukraine hit Russian land, news outlets reported.
Tuesday is day 230 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, Reuters, rmf24.pl
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Agnieszka Bielawska.