More than 30 demonstrators gathered in Montpelier on Tuesday to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine and show support for the Ukrainian people.
“My heart hurts,” said Natalie Babij, who traveled to the protest from Bolton. Babij’s sister, who lives in Kyiv, fled to western Ukraine last Thursday. She has been communicating with the family by email, but Babij remains concerned for her safety.
Hundreds of Ukrainian people have been killed in the conflict, including civilians and children, according to global news reports. Thousands more have been injured, and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
Michaela Stickney, of Huntington, came with a homemade fleece banner, assembled with “a sewing machine and a rusty pair of scissors,” resembling the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag.
Stickney’s family is from Eastern Europe, she said, and her mother grew up on the front lines during World War II. “I have a family connection to sort of the horrors that are going on now, especially for children and families,” she said.
Roman Kokodyniak has been in touch with friends and relatives in Ukraine, he said. Most have told him they don’t want to leave, and one told him he was “cleaning up my rifle,” preparing to fight.
Kokodyniak and his wife, Lynn Rockwell, of Cabot, organized the vigil in front of the federal building in Vermont’s capital Tuesday. This conflict has a digital component, Kokodyniak said, and it’s important for Ukrainians to see that people around the world support their cause.
Kokodyniak said he and Rockwell plan to continue demonstrating in the same place every Tuesday and Thursday at noon for “as long as we need to.”