A sea of Ukrainian flags made their way up the Utah State Capitol steps on Saturday afternoon as over 200 people gathered to mark the 365 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Some of the blue and yellow flags were draped around shoulders, some were worn on T-shirts and some were clutched by toddlers as a crowd gathered at the base of the Capitol. But one flag remained across the street — overlooking the crowd from a house window, in silent solidarity with the rally’s attendees.
“I really hope people today are going to see us and they will be reminded that this war is going on and it’s already been a year,” said Marianna Tronchuk, a Ukrainian refugee who moved to Utah last June and attended Saturday’s rally. “We still need your help.”
Tronchuk attended the rally to highlight that there is still suffering occurring in her home country, especially with recent electricity and heating outages during the harsh winter months. She said the first anniversary of the invasion has been traumatic for her, triggering the emotions she felt on the day Ukraine was invaded.
“It was hard, because my whole family is still in Ukraine,” Tronchuk said. “They have electricity for a couple of hours, heat as well. … We can go through a loss of electricity and heat, but the worst thing is that we are losing our best people.”
Mike Mower, Gov. Spencer Cox’s senior adviser from Community Outreach and Intergovernmental Affairs, read a statement from the governor where he proclaimed Feb. 24, 2023, as “Peace for Ukraine Day” in Utah.
Sen. Mitt Romney also applauded the perseverance of Ukrainians in a statement read by his national security adviser, Megan Reiss.
“I want to applaud the extraordinary courage of the Ukrainian people who have galvanized the entire world to stand together to support freedom in the face of tyranny,” Romney said in the statement. “Ukraine’s fight in light of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is one of the greatest demonstrations of good versus evil that we’ve seen during our lifetime, Ukraine’s resolve to defend itself is one of the greatest demonstrations of courage.”
Romney acknowledged many in the crowd still have family, friends and homes back in Ukraine. In the statement, he told the rally’s attendees that Utah stands with them — and applauded the efforts Utahns have already made to help Ukrainians.
“Keep helping Ukraine as much as you can — just even with a simple smile when you know what somebody’s from Ukraine,” Tronchuk said. “Ask how how their family do, ask how are they, ask if they need any help if you’re willing to help — because that’s important. … It means a lot to me when people are thoughtful and they are aware it’s still hard for them.”
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/GchOLjs
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