A few dozen Iranians gathered on Friday (October 28th) in kyiv to show their solidarity with the Ukrainians and against the Russians' use of Iranian-made drones to strike Ukraine.
At the call of the Iranian community of Kiev, the demonstrators gathered in Maidan Square, in the heart of the Ukrainian capital, displaying Ukrainian and Iranian flags, and placards with the slogan "
The Iranian people stand in solidarity with Ukrainian
”.
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“
The country where we were born and the current ruling regime (in Iran) are sending drones to kill us and our friends (in Ukraine).
It is very painful (…) We had to express our opinion and say that we are against it
,” Maziar Mian, a 34-year-old Iranian architect, told AFP.
"
Support for the Iranian people
"
Nilu, a 29-year-old Iranian woman, came to tell the Ukrainians that “
we, the Iranian people, are not the Islamic Republic (of Iran).
We don't want (Iranian leaders) to empower Putin
”.
“
In this war with Russia, we are on the side of Ukraine
”, added Mr. Mian, for whom it was also necessary “to
express our support for the Iranian people, who have been protesting for more than forty days against the criminal regime
” by place in Iran.
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In recent weeks, Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Moscow of using Iranian-made drones in attacks on Ukraine, including on kyiv and on civilian energy infrastructure.
Iran has rejected the accusations, while the Kremlin has argued that Westerners are trying to "
put pressure
" on Tehran.
“
No one left
” in the embassy
In September, kyiv decided to drastically reduce diplomatic relations with Tehran over alleged arms deliveries to Moscow.
In Kiev, the Iranian flag was still flying Friday on the roof of the Iranian diplomatic compound, located near the Ukrainian presidency, but "
there is no one left
" in the embassy, according to an Iranian present at the demonstration.