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Hundreds gather at Ukraine war vigil

BBC A man and a woman embrace at the Vigil. The woman is holding a small Ukrainian flag. BBC
About 200 people attended the vigil in Bedford Square

Hundreds of people have attended a vigil in Exeter ahead of the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

About 200 people gathered in Bedford Square at 13:00 GMT on Saturday, before moving on to St Stephen's Church where activities included writing messages of support to send to Ukrainian soldiers.

The event was organised by Devon Ukrainian Association who support refugees who have settled in the county.

Ukrainian Olha Retevaia said: "It's hard because we need to help our people who fight with the Russians' aggression and we don't know how long it will take. - I think every family has someone who is fighting on the Ukrainian side."

People gathered at the vigil. Many of them are holding signs asking for the war to end.
Organisers said the vigil was about calling for unity, peace and action

Monday marks the third anniversary of Russia's invasion on 24 February 2022.

Olya Petrakova from the Devon Ukrainian Association said: "The spirit [of the vigil] is of resilience, of standing up to the enemy, of fighting to the last moment and wanting to reclaim the territory of Ukraine and Crimea."

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