Ukrainians and their supporters yesterday held “Toward Victory” rallies in Hsinchu, Taichung and Taipei to show solidarity with Ukraine, as Russia’s invasion of the country enters its third month.
At a rally in front of Liberty Square in Taipei, dozens of people unfurled a 7m wide and 3m long handmade Ukrainian flag while singing the country’s national anthem.
Alex Khomenko, who is from Kharkiv, Ukraine, and one of the Taipei event’s organizers, told the crowd that resisting the Russian invasion was “the first and last thing we [Ukrainians] will think of when we wake up and go to bed every day.”
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Khomenko, a member of Taiwan Stands With Ukraine (TSWU), a volunteer organization founded in Taipei in response to the Russian invasion, said that the rally was held to coincide with Victory in Europe Day, which marks the formal acceptance of Germany’s surrender to the Allies on May 8, 1945.
“The day marks the day peace returns to Europe 77 years ago, when one country wanted to conquer others,” Khomenko said, adding that this year’s anniversary was overshadowed by Russia’s attempts to do the same.
As yesterday was also Mothers’ Day, Khomenko added that he, Ukrainians and their supporters in Taiwan were heartbroken for all Ukrainian mothers.
TSWU’s founder, a Taiwanese who identifies only as Jen, said that Ukrainian mothers and children are suffering from the war.
She called on the international community to take action over alleged incidents of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian troops in Ukraine.
Jen said that Russian soldiers are using rape as a weapon against Ukrainians, including children, and urged people to take a stronger stance against sexual violence in conflict zones.
The group’s Ukrainian flag was made by Migle Matekunaite, a Lithuanian living in Taiwan, TSWU said.
Matekunaite and her Polish husband have been participating in events across Taipei to show support for Ukraine, the group said.
Matekunaite said that it took her seven hours to make the flag.
Other rallies were held at the Hsinchu Railway Station Square and the Taichung Railway Station Square, TSWU said.
Kyiv has been resisting the Russian invasion force since Feb. 24, the day Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the commencement of a “special military operation” in pursuit of the “demilitarization and denazification” of the country.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS