Helsinki’s Senate Square will be blanketed in a sea of sunflowers to mark the occasion.
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In Kyiv on Saturday, people photographed a map of Ukraine made of flowers. Image: Sergei Supinsky / AFP
On Sunday, Ukraine is celebrating its fourth Independence Day since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
In Helsinki, Ukraine’s Independence Day is being marked with flag displays at the Senate Square and at the foreign ministry’s Merikasarmi headquarters. Later in the evening, Merikasarmi will be illuminated in Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow colours as a gesture of solidarity that has become routine in European capitals since the war began.
A public gathering will take place at the Senate Square from 3pm, with an address by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) and performances of Ukrainian music.
“The common goal of the West is to achieve a just peace in Ukraine. That is what we are working for. Finland stands with Ukraine. Today, tomorrow and in the future. For as long as is necessary,” Orpo said in a statement ahead of Sunday’s event.
Participants are invited to bring sunflowers, which will be arranged into a floral display on the steps of the square.
The event is organised by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Helsinki, the Ukrainian Association in Finland, and Mothersforpeace, in cooperation with the City of Helsinki, Helsinki University, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Embassy of Ukraine in Finland.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.