How did the world respond in the first days of the invasion?
A look back at legal action, sporting withdrawals and street protests recorded between 26 and 28 February 2022.
How did the world begin to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine? By 28 February 2022, the answer included a new criminal investigation, a court case brought by Ukraine, sporting withdrawals and protests in cities on several continents.
Legal steps
On 28 February 2022, Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan announced that the International Criminal Court would conduct a criminal investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
A day earlier, on 27 February, Ukraine had sued Russia in the International Court of Justice. It sought an injunction ordering an immediate end to Russian military activities.
Sport
Also on 27 February, the Latvian ice hockey club Dinamo Riga withdrew from the Kontinental Hockey League in protest at the invasion. It joined the Finnish club Jokerit, which had already left.
Protests abroad and at home
Demonstrations spread over the weekend of 26 and 27 February. In London, protesters gathered at the Russian embassy, where some were seen throwing eggs and called for Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine. In the United States, people gathered in Kansas City, Salt Lake City, beneath the Space Needle in Seattle and in other cities to stand with Ukraine and call for peace. Several Freedom Convoy truckers also gathered at Grant Park in Chicago in solidarity with Ukraine.
In Taipei, around 200 demonstrators called for the war to end. In Tehran, Iranian police dispersed protesters who had chanted "Death to Putin" outside the Ukrainian embassy.
Inside Russia, around 3,000 anti-war protesters had been detained across the country by 26 February, since Putin launched the invasion. On 27 February, anti-war demonstrators also gathered in Minsk, Belarus, despite Belarus's involvement in the invasion, and around 440 people were detained.
Together, these reports from 26 to 28 February 2022 show a reaction that moved quickly through courts, sport and the street.
