As Russia hosts widely panned elections in the occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Ukrainians fired back with a creative floating protest. For hours on Saturday, a massive banner bearing the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian state flag floated above Donetsk, hoisted by dozens of helium balloons. “They are a little mad about it,” Ukrainian official Vitaliy Barabash told broadcasting company Suspilne. “They tried to shoot it down. But over the Kyiv district of Donetsk, the state the flag is already flying.” The elections in Donetsk and other occupied territories, set to end Sunday, have been widely denounced by Ukraine and its Western allies.
