Dozens of Turks and Ukrainians staged demonstrations Saturday across Turkey to protest the ongoing Russian military operations in Ukraine.

Members of the Free Thought and Educational Rights Society (Ozgurder) held a protest outside the Russian Embassy in the capital of Ankara and condemned the Russian attacks.

Ozgurder’s representative, Yusuf Ahmet Kaya, accused Moscow of “hypocrisy” and argued that the West abandoned Ukrainians in their struggle.

The Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for the Oppressed (Mazlumder), also joined the protest with their Ankara branch director, Osman Yurt, who said the Russian intervention was “unacceptable.”

“War is the worst choice for humanity,” he said, adding that developments pointed to the collapse of the international system because a member of the UN Security Council was intervening against another UN member.

Ukrainians living in the western Izmir province also issued a statement in support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of their country.

Protesters, including members of the Association of Ukrainians in Izmir, chanted slogans for their country and carried banners that read: “No to War”, “Stop your attacks, Russia!”

The head of the association, Olena Ozbek, said Russia was targeting kindergartens and hospitals.

“How many more should be killed for the world to stop his? Where are the promises, guarantees made to the state of Ukraine?,” she asked, and demanded the toughest sanctions on Russia.

Ukrainian Nina Leonita said in tears that her parents, along with three nephews, were living in Ukraine and she was constantly worried about their safety.

“This is a political war,” she said, adding that the military conflict was not the choice of Ukrainians nor Russians.

A group of Ukrainians residing in the Mugla province also protested, chanting slogans against Russian President Vladimir Putin and carrying banners that demanded an end to the war.

Iryna Demiroglu, speaking on behalf of protesters, said Russia sought to eradicate the Ukrainian state and capture its territories but Kyiv was determined to protect its soil.

In the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, a group of Ukrainian citizens and Crimeans gathered in the Fatih Beyazit Square and protested the military conflict.

Anzhala Pelit, a Ukrainian, said she was extremely worried that she lost contact with relatives in Ukraine and encouraged the world to support Ukraine.

Putin ordered the military intervention on Thursday, after a month-long buildup of thousands of troops around Ukraine.

Western countries have responded with fury, and have announced sanctions against Moscow. They have also pledged economic and military support for Kyiv./aa

Residents in Turkiye's central Konya province expressed happiness to host the country's first Climate Council in the city and called for increasing the number of such events. 

The Climate Council began Monday to establish a roadmap in line with the Paris Agreement to reach net-zero emissions by 2053. The five-day event ended Friday.

More than 1,000 representatives from public institutions and universities, scientists, businesses, farmers, and activists attended.

Resident Ridvan Gecer, who is preparing for university exams, told Anadolu Agency that residents in rural areas in the province are very happy about the Climate Council.

"They have an opinion that the negative effects of climate change on human life can be handled via these talks. I think the climate council is an important step and will be useful," he said.

Gecer cited early warnings and studies by scientists on the danger of climate change and stressed that action should have been taken much earlier to protect the environment and fight climate change.

Giving an example from Konya, he said the water level in lakes is decreasing and the number of sinkholes has increased while there were regressions in agriculture and more people migrate from the villages to the cities.

"More action is needed about these problems," he said.

He also said events like the Climate Council needs to be announced to people to raise awareness.

"I am also happy that Konya has been decided as the host city for the country's first Climate Council.”  

City see more people thanks to meeting

Taxi driver Furkan Asil was happy the city hosted the meeting and said the movement of people in the city has increased thanks to the event.

"Since I am a taxi driver, we have witnessed the density of people over the last days on the route of the congress center where the Climate Council was held, and there is an interest there," he said.

Asil pointed out that Konya is an important agricultural city and said the effects of climate change on agriculture are serious.

"These negative effects also impact agriculture and the economy. Therefore, we expect the authorities to do more to resolve this issue," he said.

Kudretullah Turan, an Uzbek-origin Afghan who came to Turkiye in 2014, said he is interested in issues related to climate change as well as the environment.

"Climate change affects the environment, thus cleaning, order and economy," said Turan who owns a mobile shop in the city center.

He said Konya has recently taken green steps on the environment, such as expanding cycling routes and green areas.

Such important organizations should be held more, added Turan./aa

The head of the Chechen Republic is being heavily criticized on social media for showing up with $1,500 boots during his address to special forces.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, has already announced his support to Russia over its military intervention in Ukraine.  

Calling on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “apologize to Russian President Vladimir Putin, to save Kyiv,” Kadyrov said he has 70,000 fighters in Chechnya to fight alongside Russia.  

But besides his speech, the Chechen leader came under censure for wearing the expensive Prada boots.  

While some made fun of him saying how could one be an anti-imperialist who wears such pricey boots, others accused him of being a “so-called Muslim [and] Putin’s man.”  

This, however, is not the first time Kadyrov has come under criticism.

His remarks on the situation in Syria, and position on the events in the Chechen Republic have also been denounced by many.  

Photo of him wearing a T-shirt with Putin’s photo was also shared on social media and he was accused of “giving up the Chechnya cause.

Meanwhile, Kadyrov’s name is also associated with many human rights violations including torture and extrajudicial killings.

He was sanctioned by the US on July 20, 2020, and by the EU  over Ukraine crisis in 2014.   

Putin announced a “special military operation” on Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.
Fighting on the third day of the attack is said to have reached the streets of the capital Kyiv, with the UN Refugee Agency estimating more than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees having crossed into neighboring countries.

Decisions to be taken following Turkiye's first Climate Council will shape the country's future as part of the fight against climate change, said an official with the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Turkiye's policies geared towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and its target for net-zero emissions by 2053, Abdullah Bugrahan Karaveli, the head of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Environment at the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, pointed out the importance of timing regarding the first Climate Council.

"The Climate Council is (taking place) at a very precious time, to form the key elements to plan Turkiye's next 30, 40, 50 years, which roadmaps should be followed, what should be done in which sector, what should not be done, what kind of method should be followed, here are all discussed," he noted.

Mentioning that since combating climate change is directly paired with greenhouse gas reduction, with the key sectors also energy, industry, and transportation, Karaveli reminded that net-zero carbon emissions mean balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal through forests as a carbon sink.

To achieve this, it is necessary to carry out significant and very high-level work in all sectors, said Karaveli, who is also head of the first session of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction commissions, (Energy, Transport and Industry).

"There have been very valuable, constructive discussions, and what should be done in line with the plans based on scientific knowledge and data is listed step by step, and with the decisions taken as a result of this council, the next 30, 40, 50 years of Turkiye will be shaped," he said.

Turkiye's first Climate Council kicked off on Monday to establish a roadmap in line with the Paris Agreement to reach net-zero emissions by 2053. The event will end on Friday.

Over 1,000 representatives of public institutions and universities, scientists, businesspeople, farmers, and activists attended the event.

Challenges towards 2053 target

Noting that Turkiye is a developing and growing country, as both its population and economy are growing steadily, Karaveli said its energy demand is growing above the world average at the same time.

"For example, while the growth in energy demand in the world due to COVID-19 decreased in 2020, it increased in Turkiye as part of electricity. In 2021, while the world average grew by 4.5%, Turkiye's electricity demand grew by more than 8%...These are the challenges of the process," he said.

Underlining that the energy sector has priorities such as reducing foreign dependency and energy costs, he added that now, as reducing greenhouse gas emissions is added to these priorities, the energy sector is being subjected to some tests to define what needs to be done to move the country towards the target set in this direction.

"The main thing to do and the most important way to tackle carbon emissions is to minimize the demands of energy in sectors such as industry, transportation, buildings, and agriculture by reducing the energy input without limiting the service and product quality, production," he said.

In other words, he added, the most important thing that can be done here is to minimize the demand for energy in Turkiye by taking steps at the highest level as part of savings and efficiency.

In response to a question on how decreasing energy demand would be possible in a growing population, Karaveli pointed to the efficiency and saving behaviors at the individual level as he underlined that things done at the microscale bring changes at the macro scale.

"The opinion that carbon emissions will only decrease if the world economy and population will not grow further is not correct. The goal here is to minimize the demand," he stressed, referring to figures from the International Energy Agency showing that the world will grow by 40% until 2050 while energy demand should decrease by 7%.

Turkiye's situation on renewables

On renewable energy, which is one of the efficient ways towards realizing a healthy climate, Karaveli said it constitutes 54% of the country's total installed power and renewable energy has a share of around 40% in electricity generation.

"Therefore, Turkiye ranks 12th in the world and fifth in Europe as part of renewable energy installed power and in first place in geothermal energy and ranks number 2 in hydropower across Europe," he noted.

Saying that these figures prove how quickly Turkiye has adapted to renewable energy, Karaveli added that it is necessary to increase the speed in this transformation further for the future.

"Turkiye has a much higher renewable potential compared to Europe, and since the obstacles are much less and the opportunities are much more, the country can more easily maximize the use of renewable energy," he said.

Calling on youth to follow the council carefully as well as its outcomes and build their own careers on these issues, Karaveli said the next 30 to 50 years of the world are planned.

He concluded that if young people also closely follow technological developments around the climate change issue, they may be the future of Turkiye and may develop the country, as half of the technology to be used in the field has not been developed yet./aa

Demonstrations on Saturday were held across the UK in support of Ukraine as the Russian military intervention in the Eastern European country entered its third day amid international outcry. 

In London, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Russian Embassy holding placards and shouting pro-Ukrainian slogans. They wrote messages against Russian President Vladimir Putin on the embassy’s wall and pelted the building with eggs.

“Russia stop the war!”, “Putin stop the war!” and “Leave Ukraine alone!” were among the many signs present at the protest. The demonstrators, many of whom were Ukrainians with families in the besieged country, were present and displayed Ukrainian flags.

Elsewhere in the capital, protesters gathered outside Downing Street, played Ukrainian songs and sang the country’s national anthem while holding a large Ukrainian national flag. They also chanted “stop Putin, stop the war!”

Demonstrations were also held in Manchester, northern England, where people gathered in the city’s Piccadilly Gardens and demanded an end to Russian aggression.

Meanwhile, Royal Navy ships, British Army troops, and Royal Air force fighters left for new deployments in eastern Europe to bolster NATO’s eastern front, the Defense Ministry said.

“Our armed forces are once again being called upon in the service of our Nation and I salute the bravery and sense of duty shared by all our personnel who have been deployed to support NATO,” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement.

“Alongside our NATO Allies, these deployments constitute a credible deterrent to stop Russian aggression threatening the territorial sovereignty of member states,” Wallace added.

- Royals pledge support for Ukraine

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Catherine also offered their support to the people of Ukraine.

“In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future,” the Duke and Duchess said in a statement on Twitter.

“Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future."/aa

Anti-war demonstrators gathered in world capitals including Brussels and Athens on Saturday as Russian troops are said to be advancing toward Ukraine's capital Kyiv. 

In Brussels, protesters gathered near the central train station and called on the EU to take initiative to end the military conflict. They chanted slogans against Russia, and carried slogans such as "Stop the war."

Dozens of Ukrainian citizens also came together outside the Russian Embassy in Athens, and protested the ongoing Russian military campaign.

Yuliya Graneka, who lead the protest, said the war must be stopped immediately as innocent people were dying and being forced to migrate.

Graneka said Ukraine is a peaceful country, and Europe should help it against Russian aggression.

Meanwhile in Hungary's capital of Budapest, hundreds gathered in front of the Russian Embassy to protest Russia and show solidarity with Ukraine.

Protestors carried Ukrainian flags along with banners that read: "Putin hands off Ukraine," "Stop Putin and the war," and "Support Ukraine."

Thousands demonstrated in Paris and in cities across France, including Lyon, Marseille, to show solidarity with Ukraine.

Demonstrators in Republique Square in Paris, held banners that read: "No to war," "World wants Putin to stop," "Stop Putin,” and,"Support Ukraine."

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the “special military operation” on Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.

In a televised address, Putin said the people of Donbas asked Russia for help, claiming that he wanted to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy pledged to defend the country, the West announced sanctions on Moscow, including measures targeting Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

According to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, more than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into neighboring countries including Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania.

"Displacement in Ukraine is also growing but the military situation makes it difficult to estimate numbers and provide aid," he said in a tweet./aa

Ukraine's Defense Ministry will establish a special hotline called "Return alive from Ukraine" for the families of killed or captured Russian soldiers, an official said, as fighting between forces of the two countries continues. 

The communication line will be established for the "mothers, fathers, wives, grandparents, Russian occupiers," according to Anton Gerashchenko, adviser at the Internal Affairs Ministry.

"On this phone line, you can find out whether your relatives are still alive, taken prisoner, injured, and you can decide when and how to take the body of your deceased relative," he said.

"If your loved one is in our captivity, you can leave a short message for your husband, son," Gerashchenko added. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military intervention Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine. He claimed that Moscow had no plan to occupy the neighboring country but wanted to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.

Fighting on the third day of the intervention is said to have reached the streets of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy has pledged to defend the country, Western countries have announced sanctions on Moscow, including measures targeting President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. 

According to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grand, more than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have now crossed into neighboring countries, including Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. 

"Displacement in Ukraine is also growing but the military situation makes it difficult to estimate numbers and provide aid," he said in a tweet./aa