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This crossroads in the heart of Manhattan, known worldwide for its giant digital billboards above the music halls of Broadway, was adorned with the yellow and blue colors of Ukraine displayed by demonstrators of all ages. They held up signs for a few hours demanding “the end of the war”, “a no-fly zone” or urging to “stop Putin”, the Russian president compared on photo-montages to Hitler.
The static gathering easily filled the entire area of Times Square, which spans several blocks of buildings along world-famous Broadway and Seventh Avenue.
In tears, Tatiana Dyakun, a 38-year-old Ukrainian who says she has lived in the United States for six years, describes the invasion of her country by the Russian armed forces as a “crime” and “terrorism”. “We are calling for help (…) Don’t wait!”, She implored AFP while saying she was grateful for the “huge support” from Western countries.
Should Europe and America intervene in Ukraine? “Yes,” she replies immediately. Even at the risk of a world war? “It’s going to happen anyway, tomorrow or the day after,” she thinks.
Many of the slogans in New York responded to statements by President Vladimir Putin that any country attempting to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered a co-belligerent. This claim by Kiev has been rejected by NATO and the US Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, because it would mean “actively fighting” Russian forces.
More than one million Ukrainian Americans and Ukrainians live in the United States, most of them in Pennsylvania, New York and Chicago, according to the 2019 census.
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