CLEVELAND — The Russian Cultural Garden in Cleveland is standing in support of Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, making a statement against Russian president Vladimir Putin by removing the Russian flag from the gardens.
On Sunday, the Russian Cultural Garden removed the flag, announcing beforehand that it would "take down the flag of the country that started the war against the independent State of Ukraine."
The Garden said it opposes the actions of Putin to invade Ukraine and doesn't want to be associated "in any way with these criminals" while calling the decision to remove the flag not a political one but rather a humanitarian one.
"Taking down the flag is the least we can do to demonstrate our support to Ukraine. We pray for Ukraine and wholeheartedly support their fight against aggressor," the Gardens said.
Many Russians have voiced opposition to Putin's decision to invade Ukraine with thousands of Russians turning out across their country, protesting the invasion.
RELATED: Hundreds arrested as shocked Russians protest Ukraine attack
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
