480 Pairs of Shoes Commemorated the Victims of the War in Ukraine

A display of 480 pairs of shoes, representing the disappeared civilians in Ukraine, was staged on Old Town Square in Prague today.

Amnesty International, together with Ukrainian designer Margarita Chala, aimed to bring the atmosphere of fear and hopelessness closer to the public.

The project’s goal, according to the movement, is to call for an investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine as soon as possible.

According to Irena Hůlova, head of advocacy at AI’s Czech branch, the pairs of shoes symbolize only a fraction of the lives lost due to this war.

After the display in Old Town Square, the shoes will be transported to Kherson Oblast. In addition to the shoes, organizers created a broken wall, on which Chala sprayed the words “Russia, stop the killing” in red paint.

“Amnesty International is committed to ensuring that atrocities against civilians are investigated and their perpetrators are held accountable. We consider it necessary that an international tribunal be established to investigate all war crimes and atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine as a matter of urgency,” Hůlová said.

The movement points to information that the Russian military is fighting with banned weapons, such as cluster munitions. AI also reports that the Russians are preventing the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Friday, 24 February, marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As of 6 February, the United Nations has confirmed the deaths of 7,155 civilians, including 438 children. The figures quoted include only documented and confirmed casualties of the war.