Read the coverage of the rally here
As many as 10,000 people rallied in central Kyiv on Oct. 6 to warn Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky against capitulating to Russia in a bid to end the Kremlin’s six-year war against Ukraine, which has led to the loss of 7 percent of the nation’s territory now under the Kremlin’s control. Those include portions of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine agreed to implement the Steinmeier Formula, named after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Under the idea, Kremlin-controlled areas of the eastern Donbas would have elections and enjoy a degree of local autonomy, as long as Russian military forces are withdrawn, Ukraine regains control of its eastern border with Russia and elections are held under Ukrainian law and judged to be free and fair by international observers, particularly the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
There are huge concerns that such elections and local autonomy will legitimize the Kremlin’s land grab and war, which has cost the lives of 13,000 Ukrainians while creating enclaves that will work against Ukrainian interests.
It was the second such protest within a week. The first one took place on Oct. 2.
For more information on the Steinmeier Formula, read:
Win Or Loss? Zelensky Seeks End To War Without Falling Into Russian Trap
Ukraine agrees to ‘Steinmeier Formula,’ green-lights elections in occupied Donbas
