Hundreds march through Minneapolis in solidarity with Ukrainians
On Sunday, hundreds of Ukrainian Americans took to the streets of Minneapolis, marching across the city in a show of solidarity with their loved ones in harm’s way on the other side of the world. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - On Sunday, hundreds of Ukrainian Americans took to the streets of Minneapolis, marching across the city in a show of solidarity with their loved ones in harm’s way on the other side of the world.
"Everyone is suffering, and they’re hiding, and they’re having to leave our home country," second-generation Ukrainian Ken Matlashewski said.
"We are brothers and sisters, and we have to help each other," St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Fr. Myron Korostil continued. "We are trying to do all we can."
Before Sunday’s march, a small group shared a meal at Fr. Korostil’s church, with all proceeds from the lunch going to support the fight for Ukraine’s freedom. Then they marched through Minneapolis. During the march, many said they were worried about the safety of their loved ones in Ukraine, and equally worried about the future of their home country itself.
"It’s disastrous, the emotions that I’m feeling right now [are] far beyond anything else," Matlashewski said.
The march from outside of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church ended at the Stone Arch Bridge; with Ukrainians and Belarusians marching from opposite sides of the bridge and meeting in the middle, in a show of unity against Russia’s aggression.
"My best friend is hiding in a basement right now with her five-year-old child; it’s unreal that this is happening in 2022," Chrystyna Antonov told FOX 9. "It’s nice to see the support for sure, but it’s also really heartbreaking that this is even happening in the first place."
Even thousands of miles away, they are doing what they can in the fight to protect Ukraine’s freedom and democracy, and for tens of millions of people, the very right to exist as a free nation. But the group is also asking for help; in the form of prayers and donations.
UKRAINE CRISIS: How you can help