'This monster has to be stopped': Cork's citizens join Ukrainians in rally of solidarity

Cork’s Lord Mayor, Cllr Colm Kelleher, said the people of Cork, Munster, Ireland and Europe stand by the people of Ukraine

Svetlana Zakharova at a gathering in solidarity with Ukrainian people organised by the Lord Mayor of Cork at Bishop Lucey Park, Cork. Picture: Denis Minihane

Ukrainian Nadiya Hnat wept as she sung her national anthem while her national flag was raised above Cork’s peace park during a solidarity rally on Wednesday.

Clutching a little Ukrainian flag, and checking her phone regularly for WhatsApp updates from relatives and friends huddled in bomb shelters in various cities in Ukraine, Nadiya, from Ternobil in the west of the country, stood shoulder to shoulder with dozens of fellow Ukrainians, among a crowd of around 150 people, who attended the special event organised by Cork’s Lord Mayor, Cllr Colm Kelleher.