‘For many Ukrainians living in Wales, this flag is not just a flag’

A Senedd Member has rallied to support Ukrainians living in Wales, amid calls for their flag to be removed from outside the Senedd.

In 2022, Russia launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine, forcing millions of people to flee the country.

The Ukraine flag currently flies outside the Welsh Parliament, along with the Welsh and UK flags, in a show of solidarity.

However, Reform’s Senedd finance spokesperson, Cai Parry-Jones, described flying the flag as “virtue signalling”.

He did however say he supported the people of Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has also gone on record saying “no foreign flags” will be flown on public buildings under a Reform government – with Reform-run councils in England, including Essex, taking Ukraine flags down.

Casnewydd Islwyn MS Dan Thomas, who leads Reform in Wales, has also backed calls for the flag to be removed, and told BBC Wales that solidarity can be shown “without flying the flags”.

But, their demands have been blasted by Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle, who said this “shows just how out of touch Reform are with the overwhelming majority of Welsh people who are in support of Ukraine’s brave fight against Russian invaders”.

Mr Whittle, who represents the Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni constituency, “unequivocally” supports the flag being flown, and said: “We should stand up against Putin and his regime who are constantly shelling innocent people in Ukraine – and flying the flag is a show of support for their fight.

“It would be much better for everyone if Reform Senedd Members refrained from trying to stir things up at every opportunity.”

Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, has also voiced his support for keeping the Ukrainian flag flying at the Senedd.

Reform’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, is currently serving a ten-year jail sentence for taking pro-Russian bribes.

‘Not just a flag’

Yuliia Bond, a Ukrainian refugee living in Caerphilly, contacted Mr Whittle for support following the comments from Mr Parry-Jones and Mr Thomas.

“For many Ukrainians living in Wales, this flag is not just a flag,” explained Ms Bond, who moved from the city of Marhanets to Caerphilly in 2022 with her two children.

“As I write this, my hometown in Ukraine is facing evacuation. My mother is there. Every day begins with fear, checking messages, checking if loved ones are alive, checking if home still exists.

“The war may be disappearing from headlines, but for us it has not disappeared for a single day. If anything, lately it feels even more terrifying. People are exhausted. Families are exhausted. Soldiers are exhausted.

“After more than four years of war, solidarity means more than ever, because many Ukrainians increasingly feel the world is slowly turning away.

“That is why the Ukrainian flag outside the Senedd matters so deeply.”

Ms Bond recalled sending photos of the flag to family and friends back home, including to a Ukrainian soldier who later died in the war.

“Seeing that Wales had not forgotten Ukraine made him smile,” Ms Bond said. “It reminded him that somewhere, far away, people still cared whether Ukrainians lived or died.”

She continued: “So when people call for that flag to be taken down, many Ukrainians do not hear a debate about buildings or protocol. We hear something much more painful – perhaps people are tired of us now. Perhaps they want to move on while we are still living this nightmare.

And the heartbreaking thing is that keeping the flag there takes nothing away from Wales. It costs ordinary people nothing. It harms nobody. It simply says: we still see you, and we have not forgotten.”