Edmonton protest gives voice to those impacted by war in Ukraine

Protesters with their hands tied and blindfolds across their eyes stood on Whyte Avenue Sunday afternoon to reinforce that war in Ukraine continues.

After more than three months of fighting and reports of Ukrainian forces being registered as prisoners of war, organizers hosted the event to ensure people understand the toll the conflict is taking.

"We want to honour and commemorate these brave Ukrainian women and men who have been captured," said Diana Kotsyuba, an organizer. "For simply defending their homeland, freedom, kids, family, culture, and language."

"Today, we have a silent demonstration to spread awareness and, in this way, give these people a voice and fight for them," she added. "You don't need to be Ukrainian to support Ukraine, and Ukraine really does need your help."

After hosting dozens of rallies and walks, Kotsyuba said protests with some kind of dramatic element tend to engage more people.

"We realize that people pay more attention to demonstrations like this," she said. "It really catches your eyes."

"Whyte Ave. is always a busy street on Sundays," Yuliia Palamarchuk added. "While people are enjoying their brunch or lunch, we would like to deliver a message to them that it (war) is going, and we don't want people to forget about this."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Joe Scarpelli