– All night the Russians bombed my parents’ house – VG

Irina Christensen says that the house of the family in Ukraine was bombed on Saturday night, and is strongly affected by the situation. – I’m so scared, she says to VG.

She has lived in Norway for two years and was one of around a thousand people who on Saturday would mark their support for Ukraine in front of the Storting in Oslo. But for her, the celebration also had a dramatic personal undertone.

Throughout the night, the Russians bombed the house of my parents, my brother, his wife and their two children. Not just their house, but all the houses in the area where they live. I’m so scared, Irina Christensen tells VG.

She even visited VG’s team during the selection. She so desperately wanted help sharing a video of the Melitopol bombing in the Zaporizhzhia region that one of the family’s neighbors had posted on Facebook.

Russia claimed on Saturday to have hijacked Melitopolbut the British Ministry of Defense has cast doubt on these allegations.

While the Russians say they were greeted by “friendly locals who welcomed them with red flags”, the British say they “do not see anything to support” these claims. The city is one of several where the fighting on Saturday is fierce.

For Christensen, who has many she cares about in this particular area, the messages from there make an impression:

– This is very scary, my family is injured and they are so scared, Christensen continues.

For her, it was important to be present before the Storting on Saturday.

– We are proud of our president and we believe in him, says Irina Christensen.

She is referring to Volodymyr Zelenskyj, who in recent days has come with frequent video updates to the Ukrainian people, including here from the streets of the capital Kyiv:

– Ukraine is grateful to everyone who stands up for the country, said Ukraine’s ambassador to Norway, Jatsiuk Viatsjeslav, during the celebration.

– But today we must say it as it is: What is needed most in Ukraine now is military support. The Ukrainians are the toughest and bravest soldiers on earth, but they are fighting against an overwhelming force, he continued.

A number of top Norwegian politicians, among them former Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H), were among the appellants during the selection.

– There is no way to justify what is happening now. Nevertheless, there are voices, also in Norway, who have said that one must first and foremost understand Putin. This is not the time to understand, but to condemn, she said.

Anna Superson has lived in Norway for three years. She was among the first to come to the celebration in front of the Storting on Saturday.

– I talk to my family at home in Ukraine every single day, and I was so afraid that every time I talk to them is the last time, she says to VG.

Anzhelika Murchue and the couple Larysa and Oleksandr Tsopych are skeptical when they meet VG and ask for identification.

– We can not be sure enough these days, says Oleksandr Tsopych.

All three have lived in Norway since 2012 and they are deeply concerned about the families back home in Kyiv.

– I’m especially worried about my mother. She lived close to the airport, but now she has fortunately managed to get away. The Russians are bombing everywhere, all infrastructure is destroyed. She says that even though they have gotten out of Kyiv, they are not safe anywhere. They will not escape the war, he says.

After the marking in front of the Storting, the protesters went by train to the Russian embassy. According to the Oslo police district, significantly more people then joined the demonstration, but it went smoothly.

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