Russian activist burns passport at Edinburgh vigilon March 1, 2022 at 11:06 pm

A campaigner protesting against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has set fire to her Russian passport during a vigil in Edinburgh.

Anna Jakubova used a lighter to ignite the red booklet in front of hundreds of people gathered near The Mound.

Ms Jakubova, 26, from Moscow, said she was horrified by the slaughter of civilians and ashamed to be Russian.

Demonstrations have been taking place in the Scottish capital since the invasion started on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Russia attacked a TV tower in Kyiv – with Ukrainian officials saying five people were killed.

Missiles and rockets have also killed dozens of civilians in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and satellite images show a huge armoured convoy heading towards Kyiv.

Ms Jakubova, who travelled from Dundee for the Standing In Solidarity With Ukraine event, said: “I burnt my passport as a gesture against the Russian government and to show that even Russian citizens are turning against this country and the horrific things that it’s doing.

“I am hoping to attract attention to the plight of the Ukrainians and give them a voice to amplify their suffering and their struggles.”

The Edinburgh University graduate said while she condemned Russians who voted for Mr Putin’s government, there are citizens from her country demonstrating against the invasion.

She added: “There are quite a few Russians protesting in Moscow and they are risking their livelihoods and their careers and their families.

“I feel I am representing a significant proportion of Russians, even if it’s not the majority.”

On her own future plans, she added: “I don’t want to be a citizen of a country that committed war crimes that are so horrible it killed children and innocent people who are just defending their own country.

“I don’t think I would be able to go back to Russia and I don’t think I want to.

“I feel very sad. I feel shame that it is a country that is associated with me that has done this. I feel like nothing I can do is enough.”

On Tuesday Freedom Square in central Kharkiv was hit by a missile strike, killing at least 10 civilians.

Reports also emerged that more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after Russian artillery recently hit a military base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has described the Russian attacks as “barbaric and indiscriminate”.

And First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called on the world to stand united against the “unjustified and illegal” invasion of Ukraine.

Also attending the vigil was Dmitry Koshkin, 41, originally from Kharkiv and now living in Edinburgh.

He has relatives who are hiding in a bomb shelter in his home city, including his cousin, his cousin’s wife and their nine-year-old son.

Mr Koshkin said: “My cousin actually celebrated his birthday in these four concrete walls.

“It’s smelly and crammed with people with lots of children and people with dogs and cats.

“So, for his birthday present to himself, he actually ran back home to take a hot bath. That was his birthday treat.”

Mr Koshkin added: “I cannot comprehend these conditions.

“It also feels wrong to sit in my warm Edinburgh flat while they are doing that.

“I try to come to these gatherings as much as I can just to do something because it tears me apart that they are over there, struggling, fighting, helping each other, and I am 5,000 miles away, I cannot do much except for message on WhatsApp.”

Meanwhile, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, who attended the vigil, called on the prime minister to scrap visa rules for people fleeing Ukraine.

Mr Johnson earlier said the government was making it easier for Ukrainians in the UK to bring their relatives out of the country, by extending the scheme to help those fleeing the war.

But Home Secretary Priti Patel said the UK could not waive the need for visas for people fleeing Ukraine as it had to protect national security.