On December 21, various Lithuanian municipalities switched off Christmas lights for an hour in a show of solidarity with Ukraine where Russia’s attacks left people without electricity.
The international campaign “60 Minutes of Darkness” was joined at 20:00 by municipalities of Vilnius, Kaunas and other cities and towns.
“To show our solidarity with Ukrainians, Vilnius will join this campaign and will switch off all Christmas decorations for an hour. This will include the lighting of the Christmas tree in Cathedral Square, as well as festive decorations of the capital’s streets and bridges,” Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Simasius said in a comment.
According to Agne Augone, head of the Culture Division at Kaunas City Municipality, Lithuania’s second city switched off the lighting of its main Christmas tree, Town Hall Square, Old Town and Laisves Aleja.
The “60 Minutes of Darkness” campaign was initiated by Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for solidarity with Ukrainians on the shortest, darkest day of the year, as the nation faced a winter of blackouts.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the fact that 10 million Ukrainians will spend Christmas this year without power or lights because of damage to critical infrastructure caused by Russian shelling.
Many cities around the world are expected to dim the Christmas lights for Ukraine, including the cities of Canada, New Zealand, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy, etc. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
