Hundreds rally to support Ukraine in downtown Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- On Sunday afternoon, a large demonstration was held in downtown Raleigh commemorating the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The event took place amid a weekend of similar rallies across the country, including a large rally in Washington, D.C. this weekend that drew several thousand people.
In attendance at the Raleigh rally on Sunday were supporters, elected officials, and members of the Triangle's Ukrainian population, including some who fled the country after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
"It was a huge challenge to just survive. When you don't have medicine, you don't have doctors, you don't have a signal, like nothing," said Nataliia Bondarenko, a Chapel Hill resident and Ukrainian refugee who came to the US in July 2022.
(Freedom) is something that Ukrainians and Americans share very much. It's something that is in our common DNA.- Olena Kozlova Pates, Ukrainian American citizen
Bondarenko still recalls those moments after Russia first launched its invasion as she worked in Kiev, and her family remains in her native Mariupol.
"My whole family, they were there, my parents and my grandma, all of my cousins and nieces and nephews, they all were there under the siege with no food, no electricity," Bondarenko said.
Olena Kozlova Pates, a Ukrainian-born US citizen, was also in attendance Sunday -- helping represent the group Ukrainians in the Carolinas.
"I continue to be a very proud, free Ukrainian American. This is something freedom. This is something that Ukrainians and Americans share very much," said Kozlova-Pates. "It's something that is in our common DNA."
Kozlova-Pates was one of the many speakers at Sunday's rally, which also included Ukrainian music and emotional reflections on the last three years. She said as peace negotiations continue between the US and Russia -- and in the wake of President Donald Trump's recent comments on social media that Ukraine was to blame for starting the war -- solidarity at events such as Sunday's are becoming more important.
"It is tough, and it is helpful to have those who share the truth when you stand side by side," she said.
That's a message that elected officials who spoke Sunday, including Morrisville Councilmember Steve Rao, say is important to amplify these days.
"An attack on democracy anywhere in the world is an attack on democracy everywhere," Rao said. "And that this could happen if Ukraine is not successful and Russia takes over Ukraine, then what would prevent, you know, someone from invading Poland, Moldova or others?"
Russia, for the record, has not stated or insinuated any plans to invade any other nation.
Embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently hit back at President Donald Trump's call for the country to hold fresh presidential elections following Tuesday's historic Russia-U.S. talks in Saudi Arabia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also repeatedly called Zelenskyy an illegitimate leader, citing Zelensky's postponement of his country's 2024 presidential elections after declaring martial law.
Meantime, members of the Triangle's Ukrainian population say they're determined to stay hopeful three years into the fighting.
"Most of this crowd is American," said Kozlova-Pates. "Most of them have absolutely no blood relations to Ukraine, but they strongly believe in the idea of freedom and they value that."
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