Ukrainian politicians and foreign diplomats have joined a gay pride march in Kiev, carrying banners and waving rainbow and Ukrainian flags in a parade flanked by a thick cordon of helmeted police.
Some supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights see progress in Ukraine as symptomatic of the country's closer integration with the European Union and rejection of its ties with neighbouring Russia.
Sunday's march was largely incident-free, although around 200 people protested, variously calling it an affront to traditional values and to soldiers fighting pro-Russian separatist rebels in the eastern Donbass region.
Ukrainian authorities have increased their support for gay rights since a pro-Western government took power following the Maidan protests in 2014. In 2015, a law was passed banning workplace discrimination against the LGBT community.
But critics say homophobic attitudes remain widespread. Six people were detained for trying to breach the security cordon, the police said in a statement.
"Sunny & well organised #KyivPride2017. Another step forward for equality in #Ukraine," Judith Gough, the British ambassador to Ukraine who joined the march, wrote in a tweet.
A day before the parade, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister on European and Euroatlantic Integration, said the parade would help Ukraine shake off its "imperial legacy".
Reuters
