IN PICS | Peaceful protesters in Durban march in solidarity with Ukraine

Peaceful protesters in Durban marched in solidarity with Ukraine on Sunday afternoon, under the banner 'Stand With Ukraine'.

This march is part of a wave of recent protests around the world condemning more than a week of conflict between the Russia and Ukraine. 

Labelled as a 'military operation' by Russia and a form of aggression by Ukraine, the conflict continues as the international community responds.

Reuters reports, “Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, calls its actions in its former Soviet neighbour a “special operation” that seeks to destroy Ukraine's military capabilities, purge the country of what it says are nationalists and make it a neutral state.”

SA’s decision to abstain during a UN General Assembly motion to reprimand Russia has upset Ukraine, the US and the EU.

Of the assembly's 193 members, 141 voted in favour of the resolution to censure Russia. Thirty-five members, including SA and China, abstained and five countries — Russia, Syria, Belarus, North Korea and Eritrea — voted against the resolution. While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they carry political weight

SA has justified its decision by saying the resolution “does not create an environment conducive for diplomacy, dialogue and mediation”.

This is not the first round of solidarity protests in the country, with Ukrainians and Russians living in Cape Town gathered outside the Russian embassy in the Cape Town city centre to protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 25.