Ukraine holds country's largest ever gay pride parade
An estimated 8,000 people take to the streets in Kiev
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Thousands of people marched through Kiev for the annual gay pride parade, marking the biggest turn out the Ukrainian capital has ever seen.
On Sunday the city saw 8,000 attendees, among them politicians and foreign diplomats, participate in the celebration, an increase from 5,000 last year.
Among this year’s attendees was Judith Gough, the British ambassador to Ukraine, who shared photos of herself and other ambassadors at the march.
Despite the presence of a few hundred protesters, the event was peaceful, according to Reuters, which reports that hundreds of police officers flanked the crowd.
Dressed in colourful outfits, attendees marched holding banners and signs emblazoned with “Human rights = happy country” and “Diversity is beautiful”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a former comedian, has promoted a tolerant culture since he took office last month.
Ahead of the pride parade, the president’s office said on its Facebook page: "Ukraine's Constitution states that citizens have equal constitutional rights and freedoms.”
One participant, a 17-year-old tattoo artist named Eduard, told Reuters: "Our desire is to convey to a majority of people that LGBT is normality.
"I am taking part for the fifth time. Ukraine is making significant progress compared to previous years, security and organisation are much better."
Following the parade, one of its organisers Ruslana Panukhnyk said she was pleased with “the cooperation from police”.
Last year, more than 50 protestors were arrested for attempting to disrupt the parade in the Ukrainian capital.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments