Catalan parliament marks 4th anniversary of Russian invasion by raising Ukrainian flag

The Catalan Parliament raised the Ukrainian flag on Tuesday, February 24, to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. This was announced by the parliament speaker, Josep Rull, during the closing of a demonstration held by the Ukrainian community in Barcelona, on Sunday, February 22. 

In a speech at Plaça Catalunya square, Rull stated that the Ukrainian cause is also that of Catalonia and Europe, as well as the cause of freedom, democracy, human rights, and humanity.

The parliament already displayed the Ukrainian flag in 2024 and 2025 at the foot of the honorary staircase as a sign of solidarity with the country's civilian population, coinciding with the second and third anniversaries of the Russian invasion. 

This week, the full parliamentary session will again read an institutional declaration of support, as it has done in previous years. 

"We will not surrender"

The demonstration marking four years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was organized by the Association of Ukrainians in Catalonia, Txervona Kalyna.

Hundreds of people took part in the march, which began at 5pm on Passeig de Gràcia and concluded with a rally in Plaça de Catalunya at 6pm.

Protesters chanted slogans against Russian President Vladimir Putin and in support of Ukraine's resistance. 

Karina Feka, an activist and one of the march's organizers, said Ukraine "will not surrender" and urged the international community not to forget or normalize the war. She also called for increased support from other countries.

Rull joined the march at its head, helping to carry the main banner.

Government calls for peace agreement 

The government has called for an "immediate" ceasefire in Ukraine and a peace agreement that respects the country's "territorial integrity" and international law.

Catalonia's Minister for EU and Foreign Affairs, Jaume Duch, warned that the war in Ukraine threatens the collective security of Europeans and aims to weaken the European project and the values on which it is founded.

"Defending Ukraine today is defending Europe," the minister said. In the current context of peace negotiations led by the United States, Duch emphasized that peace cannot be imposed by force, it must be built on agreement between the parties.

Catalonia currently hosts more than 50,000 Ukrainians who have been granted temporary protection, according to estimates from the department led by Duch.