In the Polish House in Wellington, New Zealand, a significant event took place on August 26th to mark Ukraine's Independence Day. The event, organized by the Ukrainian Gromada of Wellington, was attended by the delegate of the Congress of People's Deputies and a member of the anti-war community in New Zealand (Russian Speaking Integrity Alliance NZ), Ilya Mezentsev.

"In these challenging times, when projectiles, bombs and rockets, launched by Russian soldiers, are tearing through the territory of Ukraine, and every day witnesses the loss of both defenders of Ukraine and innocent Ukrainian civilians, including women and children, it's hard for us, Russians, to hope to be heard. Our gratitude is even stronger when we have the opportunity to address the Ukrainian audience with our anti-Putin anti-war stance," – emphasized Ilya Mezentsev.

In his speech, he highlighted that the Congress of People's Deputies, with the participation of lawfully elected representatives of Russian citizens, officially recognized the Holodomor as a crime against the Ukrainian people for the first time at an official level. For the first time, legitimate representatives of Russia acknowledged the repression and terror against the national intelligentsia and participants of Ukraine's national liberation movement as a crime.

Ilya Mezentsev also emphasised that several thousand Russians are already fighting within the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including the "Freedom of Russia" Legion, and many more thousands are ready to join this struggle - if they obtain permission and support.

The event was attended by the Ambassador of the Netherlands, Ard van der Vorst, representatives of the German embassy, and of course, guests from the Polish community. "In addition to words of gratitude from Ukrainians, I received words of support from New Zealanders and European attendees. All guests of the event agree that only a newly democratic Russia, free from imperial ambitions, can live in peace with its neighbours," added Ilya Mezentsev.

Photo shows: Ilya Mezentsev – Delegate of the Congress of People's Deputies, member of the New Zealand anti-war community (Russian Speaking Integrity Alliance NZ); Ard van der Vorst – Ambassador of the Netherlands to New Zealand; Olga Vorobey – Head of the Ukrainian Community of Wellington. Photo by: Yaryna Pochtarenko.