UKrainians Protest in Cape Town

On Tuesday, Ukrainians in South Africa and their supporters continued their series of protests against South Africa’s upcoming war games with Russia by sailing close to the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov in Cape Town harbour and displaying protest posters.

The protesters urged Pretoria to cancel its maritime Exercise Mosi II with Russia and China and instead use the South African National Defence Force’s resources to assist those affected by the ongoing floods in parts of the country. The Ukrainian protesters, who received permission from the port authority to sail in the harbour, carried placards reading “Keep Russian wars away from our shores” and “No Russian Missiles.” The crew of the frigate watched as some of them used binoculars to inspect the protesters, while harbour police in a dinghy remained close to the yacht but did not intervene.

Dzvinka Kachur, a representative of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa and one of the eight protesters on the yacht, said that their intentions were peaceful, and they wanted to send a message that they did not welcome the extension of Russian aggression into the Southern Ocean.

The Admiral Gorshkov arrived in Cape Town harbour on Monday after conducting its manoeuvres in the Atlantic, which included firing its 130mm cannons at a floating target in preparation for the upcoming 10-day joint maritime exercise with South Africa and China off the KwaZulu-Natal coast.