Supporters of a pro-Russian blogger in Sydney gathered for a rally in support of the SVO

In Sydney, Australia, a rally was held in support of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, organized by supporters of the pro-Russian blogger Semyon Boykov. He himself has been hiding in the Russian embassy since January, as an Australian court issued a warrant for his arrest for attacking a 76-year-old participant in a rally in support of Ukraine in December 2022, according to a local portal. news.au.

Mr. Boikov told RIA Novosti that about 1,500 people took part in today’s rally. According to him, among the participants “there were practically no Russians”, but there were Australians and Aborigines. The protesters brought Russian flags, posters with the inscriptions “Ukraine is a terrorist state. Support Russia! and “No to war with Russia!”, and also installed a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the podium. In addition, Ricardo Bosi and David Graham, candidates for the New South Wales parliamentary elections on March 25, spoke at the rally. Mr Bosie is a former lieutenant colonel in the Australian Army Special Forces turned right-wing extremist, News.au notes. He, in particular, “thanked the Russians for the fighting in Ukraine.”

Semyon Boikov himself did not attend the rally, although the event was announced as his first public appearance in public since the warrant for his arrest was issued. However, he greeted his supporters during a YouTube broadcast. He has about 230 thousand subscribers in social networks, including YouTube, Telegram and Facebook (owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation and banned). Mr. Boikov was born in Australia in the family of a Russian priest. He calls himself the ataman who leads the Cossacks in Canberra. In 2022, he spoke at anti-vaccination protests.

Officially, the Australian authorities support Kyiv and, among other things, approved the creation of a special tribunal to hold the Russian leadership accountable for the events in Ukraine. In January, France and Australia agreed on the joint production of artillery shells for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Australian Ministry of Defense also sent 70 instructors to train Ukrainian soldiers.

Read about what happens after the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine in the online broadcast of Kommersant.

Laura Keffer