Tuesday marked four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and many Ukrainians in NYC took to the streets to commemorate the anniversary.
Since the war began on Feb. 24, 2022, it is estimated that there have been almost six million Ukrainians globally displaced, the UN Refugee Agency reported. In the United States, New York has the largest Ukrainian refugee population, according to the Immigration Policy Institute.
Throughout the week, NYC held multiple events leading up to the anniversary, including protests, performances and free museum passes.
Dmytro Topchiy, co-founder of Liberty Ukraine Foundation, told a crowded audience on the fourth anniversary, “Remember this same day four years ago.”
The fully volunteer-run foundation has raised almost $20 million since 2022, but Topchiy said that with another year of war, his team needs to find creative ways for people to donate, as the foundation has started to see donor fatigue.
“You need to stay interesting and unique,” he said. “You still need to find your way to the heart of the people.”
To commemorate the war, they partnered with Rebirth Ukraine, a creative team under Liberty, to host a charity event where all proceeds are donated to the Ukrainian military.
“A lot of my friends are in the army, and I can help by fundraising here,” said volunteer Sasha Vyshynska Miller.
The event, which was at the Ukrainian National Home in the East Village, began with curtains that hid the auditorium. When unveiled, the rows of seats led to a patch of soil where dancers would later perform, and a mural of a tree and its roots, were meant to be growing from the soil.
The performance transitioned between singers, dancers and an orchestra, to create a story of remembrance.
Topchiy said his goal is “to try to save as many people as possible, as many defenders as possible.”
At the same time, non-profit Svitanok hosted a four-hour-long protest in Father Duffy Square, with each hour beginning with a moment of silence.
Oleksandr Taran, Svitanok President, told the crowd, “Every hour represents a year at war.”
Protestors chanted “stand with Ukraine,” and “Russia is a terrorist state,” for most of the night. While also having a performance, where a woman, meant to represent Ukraine, defeated hooded girls impersonating Russian soldiers.
An onlooker, Peng Wu, normally comes to Times Square every Tuesday night to preach the word of God, found himself in the middle of a protest full of pain.
“We know that as long as we’re on this world, there’ll be division, they’ll be fighting, there’ll be a war,” Wu said.
Wu and his peers created a small prayer circle near the protestors to pray for those in attendance and their families at war.
Four days prior to the anniversary, The Ukrainian Museum, in the East Village, collaborated with various organizations to host a free museum day featuring events called Tryzub: Day of Resilience to celebrate Ukraine’s coat of arms and commemorate the war.
Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, Inc. (UNWLA), an organizer of the event, was founded in 1925 and has since become a Ukrainian women’s organization that promotes cultural efforts and aids Ukrainians across the globe.
UNWLA had an embroidery workshop to create patches similar to those on traditional clothing and an origami lesson to create a white dove, which has become Ukraine’s symbol of peace since the war began.
“People can make this bird,” Oksana Sydorchak, branch one president, said. “And they just can write a wish for Ukraine on this bird and hang it.”
