It has been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and tonight at 7:30 p.m., church bells will ring throughout the Netherlands to commemorate this terrible event. As the war continues even after this first year, countries around the world have found ways to reflect on what has happened in Ukraine.
Today at 11:00 a.m., there was a moment of silence in the United Kingdom, and in the Netherlands, church bells will ring instead. Tonight, more than 50 Dutch cities are participating, so you’ll likely hear the bells ringing all across the country.
The church bells will ring for half an hour, until 8:00 p.m., in cities such as Groningen, Rotterdam, Maastricht, Leiden, and Enschede, as well as our own Amsterdam and many other cities throughout the Netherlands. This gesture gives Dutch residents the opportunity to reflect on what is happening in Europe.
In Utrecht, a concert will be held in memory of those who lost their lives as a result of the war, including military personnel and civilians. The chairman of the Carillon Foundation in Utrecht said: “It would be wonderful if people in Ukraine heard about this initiative and we could offer a small ray of hope.”
