At the beginning of the Parliament's session on Wednesday when Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic began delivering a speech on the situation in Ukraine, MPs interrupted him with an emotional show of support for Ukraine involving rounds of applause and displays of Ukrainian flags.

“Croatia condemns the Russian aggression in the strongest terms, and hereby expresses full support to the Ukrainian nation in these difficult times when Ukrainians are sacrificing their lives for European values. And we also extend our support to President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and Prime Minister (Denys) Shmyhal,” Plenkovic said.

Ukrainian ambassador to Croatia, Vasyl Kyrylych, and members of the ethnic Ukrainian community in Croatia, were also in attendance and they joined the applause.

MP Marko Milanovic-Litre of the right-wing Sovereignists party, who came to the session clad in the Ukrainian folk costume, said that Russia had continued shelling Ukrainian civilians, and that journalists, medical professionals, apartment blocks, and hospitals are all exposed to shelling with cluster bombs and vacuum bombs.

“These crimes must be reported,” he said.

A member of Nato and the EU, Croatia has already joined all of the bloc’s sanctions against Russia. On Monday, the government approved sending rifles and machine guns worth €16.5 million to Ukraine, which it said was “sufficient to equip four infantry brigades,” and on Tuesday the country’s civil protection service sent five trucks loaded with humanitarian aid.

Ukraine and Croatia have traditionally had friendly relations, and Ukraine was the first UN member country which recognized Croatia’s own independence from Yugoslavia, in December 1991.

‘This is a war of David vs Goliath’

“The future of Europe depends on the fate of Kyiv,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told MPs. “A quarter century after (Croatia’s) Homeland War, a war is raging on European soil again. To the shock of the whole world, Russia’s unprovoked brutal aggression on Ukraine is in its seventh day. There has been no war of such force and such extent in Europe for 77 years,” he added.

“This is a war between David and Goliath in which Russia is attacking the 28 times smaller Ukraine… Croatia had shown, with its partners in the EU, determination, solidarity and unity, and that this war had identified the need for energy autonomy and strengthening defense capabilities,” Plenkovic said.

He congratulated MPs on their universal condemnation of Russia and solidarity with Ukraine.

“By supporting Ukraine, and by respecting the courage of Ukrainians who do not flee from (Russian) tanks, do not give in to blackmail, do not bow down, who are inspired by love they feel for their homeland just like Croatians were in the Homeland War, let’s stand with Ukraine and Ukrainians today. Glory to Ukraine!” Plenkovic said to a round of applause.