Leeds-based Russian: 'Don't leave the Ukraine alone'

Polina Merkulova co-organised a Leeds protest opposing the Ukraine conflict on Sunday

A Leeds-based Russian woman who co-organised a protest against the Ukraine war has asked for the UK public to keep opposing it "until the war stops".

Polina Merkulova says a friend was beaten by police in Moscow on Sunday, while thousands were able to protest in the UK without fear of arrest.

The 35-year-old PhD student worries it may develop into a long-running conflict and the UK will lose interest.

"Please don't leave the Ukraine alone," she said.

People gathered on the steps of Leeds Town Hall as part of several protests in the city over the weekend

Ms Merkulova was among the speakers at a protest on the steps of Leeds Town Hall on Sunday, with similar events taking place in cities across Yorkshire over the weekend.

"Because I am Russian it's very important to speak out against this war, we need to show our solidarity and grief about what is going on in Ukraine," she said.

"Since I'm safe in the UK, where people are allowed to protest publicly, I couldn't be silent."

Ms Merkulova, who is from Moscow and has lived in Leeds for six years, is helping to co-ordinate getting medication to the Ukraine through her contacts on social media and is using encrypted communication apps to speak to friends in Russia.

War in Ukraine: More coverage

• LIVE: Latest updates from on the ground

• IN KYIV: Locals fear another Grozny or Aleppo

• ANALYSIS: Europe finally steps up

• EXPLAINED: Why Putin has invaded Ukraine?

• IN DEPTH: Full coverage of the conflict

She worries about friends who are hiding in Ukrainian bomb shelters who lack the connectivity or electricity to report how they are.

"I'm not even sure how to describe the emotional impact, where every second of every day you keep on thinking that someone you know and love might be dead," she said.

The student said her friends in Russia were using circumvention tools to read the reporting of international media websites, many of which are currently restricted in the country.

"It breaks my heart that my friends and family in Russia can't go out in the street to voice their opinions," she said.

"We're scared that people in safer countries in the west will get tired of the war, the news will get tired of covering it and maybe in a week or two it dies down and everyone forgets."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or send video here.