Hundreds turned out to Carnoustie beach on Sunday to stand in solidarity with a Ukrainian man and show support to his family in Ukraine.
Serhii Melnychenko moved to Carnoustie in December from Dnipro, Ukraine, to work at Auchrennie farm as a seasonal worker.
The 25-year-old appealed to Carnoustie locals on Facebook to take a picture with him to send back to his family and friends stuck in Ukraine and show solidarity for his country.
Serhii said: “A lot of people came to show their support, it was really incredible.
“I just sent my family and friends some photos that I got, they were shocked to see how many people came today to show support and pay respect to them, they were really happy to see it.”
Both Serhii’s parents are currently stuck in Luhansk, a Russian territory city in Ukraine.
Family forbidden to leave country
Serhii said: “My father is 53-years-old and is forbidden to leave the territory by the Russian army and my mother has stayed so my father is not alone.
“Because he lives in Russian territory, my father would have to fight for the Russians if he gets called upon.”
Serhii’s girlfriend and 29-year-old brother both currently live in his former city, Dnipro, which was bombed on Saturday morning.
“My brother lives in Dnipro – which is Ukraine territory – and volunteers to support Ukraine’s army defence but he also cannot leave because anyone over 16 years old could be called to fight against Russia,” Serhii said.
“My friends live in various different cities in Ukraine, some have been in cities which have been bombed by the Russian army and some have had to flee their homes.”
Serhii said his visa was due to end in June but was extended due to the circumstances until December.
He said: “I moved to Scotland by myself in December to work and now I can’t go home to be with my family.
“My family are happy that I’m here, in a safe place but I wanted to do something to support them.
“Everyone who turned up today came to show their support and stand with me.
“Some gave me flags and some children made me pictures. A lot of people brought their owns flags, it was incredible.
“I’d like to say thank you to the people who came to show support and warmth.”
