A 55-year-old Ukrainian woman was on Tuesday sentenced to six months in prison after she brandished a knife last August at a pro-Russia gathering.

Larnaca district court handed down the sentence, finding her guilty of assault charges.

The case is centred on an incident which broke out on the evening of August 22, when the woman approached a group of about 20 people celebrating Russia’s flag day.

Videos circulated on social media appeared to show a distressed woman holding a knife and staggering towards the small group gathered there.

Previous court sessions saw protesters sympathetic to the defendant gathered outside, some with placards reading ‘No to War’.