A march in support of Ukraine in the streets of Vigo on a stormy afternoon

Yesterday marked three years since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

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On the occasion of this anniversary, demonstrations in support of Ukraine have been called in many countries. Most of these demonstrations have been organised by members of the already large Ukrainian diaspora that dictator Putin has provoked with this invasion.

One of the Spanish cities where there were demonstrations in support of Ukraine was Vigo, my city. The march was scheduled for seven in the evening, starting at Plaza de España. We had an orange alert at sea due to a storm. A little before the appointed time, rain and a strong wind joined forces to march together through the streets of Vigo.

The march was organized by the Association of Ukrainians in Galicia (AUG) "Girasol". Despite the inclement weather, several dozen people, mostly Ukrainian women living in the city, gathered in the rain and wind, carrying the blue and yellow flags that in these three years have become the symbol of heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people. I bought mine the night the invasion began, and I have had it next to my table ever since.

The march went down Gran Via towards Urzáiz Street, with heavy rain falling from time to time and leaving us completely soaked. No one complained about it. A Ukrainian woman recalled that her soldiers are enduring worse things at the front.

During the march I accompanied an elderly lady who did not speak Spanish. She did not have an umbrella and I did, so I covered her as best I could and communicated with her through gestures. This woman was the typical image of the Ukrainian "babusyas" (grandmothers), for whom this people have great affection: a simple and weathered woman. When we reached Príncipe Street she made a gesture asking me to stop. She was tired. To find yourself at this age in a country that is not yours and whose language you do not understand because criminals have invaded your Homeland, while others try to decide the future of your people behind your back, must be something much worse than physical fatigue.

On Príncipe Street, the march stopped in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MARCO). The mayor, Abel Caballero, and the subdelegate of the government, Abel Losada, came to show their support for Ukraine. Caballero left shortly after and Losada stayed a few minutes longer. Marta Skyba, the president of the AUG Girasol, spoke a few words denouncing what her people have been suffering for three years. The Ukrainian women sang their national anthem, whose title, "Ukraine has not died yet", is a constant song of resistance against Moscow:

"Oy, u luzi chervona kalyna" (Oh, red viburnum in the meadow) was also sung, a song I told you about here three years ago, written in 1914 by Stepan Charnetskii for the Ukrainian Sich Rifle Legion, a unit of the Austro-Hungarian Army made up of soldiers from Ukrainian Galicia. For the past three years, this song has become one of the most popular songs of resistance against the invader in Ukraine:

I had never been to a demonstration in a storm with an orange alert. I came home as if I had gotten into the shower dressed. It doesn't matter. There is a first time for everything. Ukraine is giving us a lesson in courage and patriotism, and those of us who have been supporting the cause of the Ukrainian people must give them all the help we can, even if the storms that usually hit the Galician coast make things a bit complicated. As we say in Galicia, if it rains, let it rain.

Слава Україні!
Glory to Ukraine!