Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu
On Saturday 21 February 2026, the association of Ukrainians in Luxembourg, LUkraine Asbl, gathered around 800 people in Luxembourg City to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The march started from Luxembourg's central railway station (Gare Centrale), under the slogan "Defend Your Future - Now!" and moved along Avenue de la Liberté, over the Pont Adolphe, along the Boulevard FD Roosevelt and up to Place Clairefontaine in Luxembourg-Ville.
Many participants returned after joining in previous years. People arrived representing their associations and countries, while most supporters carried Ukrainian flags and some came from the war-affected areas in Ukraine. Others came individually or with their families to rally behind Ukraine.
Just before the march started, one of the rally leaders, Marya Kolesnyk, addressed the crowd, saying: “Ukraine is turning into empty land, into ashes. Every metre of occupied territory is no longer liveable.”
Talking with Chronicle.lu, members of the Latvian association, Ilze and Māris, said that fewer people attended this year compared with last year. They linked the lower turnout to cloudy weather or the date coinciding with school holidays. Māris added: “It is already four years since they [Russia] are doing this. When will it stop?”
During the march, rally leaders shared several statistics. Citing internal research by an independent Russian polling and sociological research organisation, Levada Center. According to the data, they pointed out: "92% of Russians believe their country is surrounded by enemies, while 70% consider the war already over."
Speakers also said that official Ukrainian data shows that torture affected 95% of captured Ukrainian soldiers, while 16,000 civilians have disappeared from occupied territories. They noted that after Russian forces withdrew from the Kharkiv region, investigators found ten torture sites in just two towns.
Once the crowd arrived at Place Clairefontaine, participants gathered around the tent, where six speakers delivered speeches, followed by musical performances by association members.
During his speech, LUkraine Asbl President Nicolas Zharov said: “For 1,459 days and 1,459 nights, lives have been interrupted by sirens and explosions instead of street lamps, while parents explain war to children who should only know school, games and dreams.”
Luxembourg Minister of Defence Yuriko Backes highlighted: “Four years of violence have also become four years of courage, resistance and resilience by Ukraine and its people, reminding us how vital it is to safeguard democracy across all borders.”
Other speakers, Inna Yaremenko, Vice-President of LUkraine Asbl, Barbara Karpetova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic, Alexandrina-Livia Rusu, Romanian Ambassador to Luxembourg, and Mike Arrensdorff, President of the Young European Federalists of Luxembourg (Jeunes Européens Fédéralistes - JEF Luxembourg), also called for continued unity and support for Ukraine, urging people not to look away and reminding the crowd that solidarity remains a choice.
