Ukraine invasion: protest planned at Sheffield Old Town Hall today

He also described how his father, a 54-year-old businessman living in Kyiv, is willing to take up his gun and defend his country if it comes to it.

Vitalii Yalahuzian, who is in his second year studying journalism at the University of Sheffield, has organised a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which will take place outside Sheffield Town Hall today, Thursday, February 24, at 3pm.

He said it would mean a huge amount if as many people as possible can turn out for the protest to show their solidarity with Ukrainians.

"My family’s in Kyiv and I felt I had to do something to try to get people here to pay more attention to what’s going on,” he said.

“Me standing alone in Sheffield isn’t going to make a difference but if one person can donate a quid or just tell their relatives or friends so they pay more attention it will be worth it. I feel I have to do something.”

Russia launched its assault on Ukraine in the early hours of this morning, and in a televised address Vladimir Putin warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to ‘consequences they have never seen’.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning said the Putin regime would be condemned to ‘pariah status’ after unleashing a ‘tidal wave of violence’ against Ukraine.

Mr Yalahuzian told how he was worried for the safety of his parents, who live in Kyiv.

"My dad was woken at 5am by the artillery fire and he said the whole house was shaken,” he said.

“He’s usually calm but he was so scared. He texted me ‘I love you’. He thought it might be the end.

“I think everyone will stand up and fight. My dad has guns and if the Russian army comes to Kyiv he will be among the people who will take their guns to defend their country.”

Mr Yalahuzian says anyone who thinks Mr Putin’s plans end with the invasion of Ukraine is deluded.

"Putin is terribly ambitious and he has no sense of what’s right and wrong. I think he’s just trying to leave his name in the history books for something.

"He won’t stop with invading Ukraine. In his speech he was talking about the USSR as this great country and he might want to get back some other lands.”

He added: “The UK has been great so far in sending military equipment but it could do more to hurt financially the powerful Russians who have a lot of money in the UK right now. Freezing that money would put a lot of pressure on Russia.

"If I see people at the protest today who aren’t ignoring what’s going on and are prepared to stand up for democracy and freedom it will mean a lot.”

For more about how you can support Ukraine, follow @withukraine on Instagram.

To donate, visit: https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/.