THE people of Wales have been showing their solidarity with Ukraine today with vigils and rallies in town centres.
In Caernarfon, MPs Liz Saville Roberts and Hywel Williams were joined by around 250 people, including Ukrainian nationals, to show solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russian invasion.
In Aberystwyth, a group gathered on Sgwar Owain Glyndwr in the town centre to hold a vigil and raise money for Doctors without Borders, who are working in Ukraine.
The protests come as Ukraine’s capital Kyiv came under heavy assault overnight.
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford said the country would welcome refugees from Ukraine displaced by the invasion .
Speaking to BBC Wales before the rally in Caernarfon, The Archbishop of Wales Andy John, who is from Aberystwyth, said he shared people’s "outrage".
He added: "We have to keep protesting that what we’re seeing is not acceptable.
"This act of aggression was without provocation, and that has brought to Europe once more the kind of uncertainty we all thought, felt and hoped had long been abandoned.
"It doesn’t need to be an endless cycle of war and of power being exercised by the strong against the weak.
"Do I want to make a personal appeal to President Putin?
"He won’t listen to me, I suspect, but every voice that says ‘there is an alternative, you don’t have to do this’, is a voice that, I think, is worth expressing.
"So I add my voice to the many who’ve appealed to him to step back even now from the brink of disaster."
Elsewhere, songs of peace rung around Aberystwyth’s Owain Glyndwr Square this morning as members of local street choir group Côr Gobaith sang to raise money for Medicines San Frontiers and promote a message of world peace and freedom. 17 members of the Aberystwyth-based organisation, led by music director Nest Howells, gathered at the square holding daffodils and singing various peace anthems in both English and Welsh to show solidarity with Ukraine.
Speaking in the House of Commons earlier this week, Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts said: “Putin’s war on Ukraine is brutal, illegal and an attack on peace and stability in Europe.
“Plaid Cymru fully supports the sanctions announced today. Putin, his cronies and their personal fortunes must pay the price for their actions.
“On a visit to Ukraine, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price spoke to Ukrainian soldiers, government officials and organisations – admiring the Ukrainian people for their strength and resilience. They are now in harm’s way.”
Ceredigion MP Ben Lake also criticised the actions of Vladimir Putin, saying: ““President Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine is indefensible, and while we would all hope to bring about a swift cessation of hostilities and return to peace, our immediate concern must the provision of humanitarian support for the Ukrainian people.
“The invasion has already caused terrible suffering and has wrought significant destruction to towns and cities. We have a responsibility to help the people of Ukraine in their hour of need, and we should work closely with neighbouring nations who have already welcomed thousands of civilians fleeing violence, as well as offering sanctuary to refugees in the UK.”