(12 Feb 2022) Over one-thousand protesters gathered in central Kyiv on Saturday to show their support for the authorities as they face a build-up of Russian troops on their borders that Western countries warn is a sign of Russia planning to further invade Ukraine.
The protesters waved Ukrainian flags and called for unity among Ukrainians.
"My family has always been prepared, we have all the stuff gathered for like a couple of years now," said protester Yuliia Zaets.
"The war wouldn't start like in a week. It's already been going for eight years. So it's nothing new for us," she added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden are to hold a high-stakes telephone call on Saturday as tensions over a possibly imminent invasion of Ukraine escalated sharply.
The U.S. also announced plans to evacuate its embassy in the Ukrainian capital.
Before talking to Biden, Putin is to have a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with him in Moscow earlier in the week to try to resolve the crisis.
Russia has massed troops near the Ukraine border and has sent troops to exercises in neighboring Belarus but insistently denies that it intends to launch an offensive against Ukraine.
Adding to the sense of crisis, the Pentagon ordered an additional 3,000 U.S. troops to Poland to reassure allies.
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