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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Lily Waddell

Nelson’s Column and London Eye illuminated as London shows solidarity with Ukraine

London has showed solidarity with Ukraine

(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

London has showed solidarity with Ukraine on Friday evening after Vladimir Putin declared war on the country.

Londoners watched on as Nelson’s Column and London Eye were lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Yellow and blue beams were projected onto Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, in central London as well as over the London Eye ahead of the weekend.

The lastminute.com London Eye in London is lit up in yellow and blue in an expression of solidarity with Ukraine (PA)

The iconic London landmarks joined the world in lighting up the sky in blue and yellow in unity with the people of Ukraine.

The capital’s landmarks were illuminated between 7pm and midnight.

It comes as Boris Johnson announced the UK will “imminently” level personal sanctions against Russian President Putin and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

In a virtual meeting with Nato leaders, the Prime Minister said Russia was “engaging in a revanchist mission to overturn the post-Cold War order”.

Mr Johnson told allies “the UK would introduce sanctions against President Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov imminently, on top of the sanctions package the UK announced yesterday”, according to a No 10 spokesman.

The European Union has also agreed to freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov along with other sanctions.

It comes after the majority of Russian forces advancing on Kyiv remain “more than 50km from the centre of the city”, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

In an intelligence update posted about 3.30pm, the MoD said the Russian armoured forces had “opened a new route of advance towards Kyiv having failed to capture Chernihiv”.

The report said there were “reports of sporadic clashes in the northern suburbs of Kyiv, which we continue to monitor”.

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