4 years since invasion, local Ukrainian community stands together
As wars in different corners of the world rage on, the people of Ukraine’s defense against Russian invaders has blown past the four year mark. It’s the longest conflict in Europe since World War II.
For those in the local Ukrainian community, whether born there or of Ukrainian descent, emotions range from hope to grief to just trying to keep faith.
“As a Ukrainian, it’s been excruciating and painful to see this happen to my people. Dying, either on the front zone or living their normal lives,” the Rev. Yurii Bobko said. “But we know God is merciful and he is almighty. Prayer is the best weapon. It can destroy any other weapon.”
Feb. 24, marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In addition to the first of Russia’s incursions in the Crimea region in 2014, Ukraine has now seen 20% of its territory occupied and hundreds of thousands of deaths among soldiers and civilians.
Bobko, a native of Kozova, Ukraine, and reverend of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church, lives here with his immediate family while most of his family still lives in western Ukraine.
Four years since the bombs and missiles started flying overhead, some continue to live within the ongoing combat and occupied zones. He knows people in Ukraine who have actively fought and has seen how people who return home from the war zone don’t want to talk about it — the experiences have caused much trauma.
“When you live in a country where war is actively happening, at some point you will feel it, whether emotionally, economically, or just fear,” Bobko said.
Bobko is part of one of the families at the Orthodox church originally from Ukraine with immediate family currently still living there. At his church, the majority who attend are of Ukrainian descent, some with parents or grandparents born there. There are also some converts.
Church services have included receiving blessings from bishops, while liturgy and prayer includes messages on Ukraine, its people and those impacted by the war.
When the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, Bobko sprung into action to raise funds for Ukrainians in need, just like many others. The church has hosted various fundraisers, with proceeds given to groups and efforts like the Ukraine Relief Project.
Sts. Peter and Paul is far from the only organization that continues to try and help years later.
Stephen Haluszczak, who has spoken to the congregation at Sts. Peter and Paul multiple times, had grandparents emigrate from Ukraine just before World War I. He started the Ukrainian Cultural and Humanitarian Institute in 2002. Since then, the organization has seen periods of unrest and instability in Ukraine, leading up to the war.
The institute has developed training programs for Ukrainian immigrants in the region, started a fund for refugees, run programs for local housing, mental health and social services, and has worked with churches and organizations that share similar interests.
“There are so many different groups out there that are helping people on a human level,” Haluszczak said. “The church has so many parishes. The Ukrainian Catholic Church in America, too. People have given millions in material aid.”
Some people in Ukraine lack access to clean drinking water. They may have electricity only a couple hours a day, Haluszczak said. And while it’s hard to gauge the level of suffering, he said it’s been incredible to see people come through to help with everything from money to clothing and toys for children.
“I’m not sure anybody could believe it happened in the beginning and the scale of it and that it’s lasted this long,” Haluszczak said. “I hope things will change and come to a just conclusion. Nobody wants Ukraine to give up any land because it’s not just.”
Faith and traditions have helped the community maintain a sense of normalcy, Bobko said.
For example, the parishioners of Sts. Peter and Paul celebrate every year with a pierogi sale fundraiser at the church. Women in babushkas and apron-covered house dresses mix and rolled out dough with rolling pins and peel and mash potatoes by hand. In the past, pierogies have been sold at the church hall on Arbor Street every other Friday from September through May.
Haluszczak’s organization gave an official update in its winter newsletter saying the war in Ukraine has seen the nation’s people living in a state of constant stress and heightened anxiety. This stems from four years of attacks on civilian facilities and infrastructure, with millions displaced from their homes, the institute said. Soldiers serve years in trenches, losing limbs and losing lives. Children need psychological help after being forcibly displaced and ending up in orphanages.
It’s not just about territory or resources, Haluszczak said. This struggle is existential for Ukrainians.
“Hope is eternal, but there’s a sadness. People question if it’ll ever end,” Haluszczak said. “People haven’t given up, but we’ve seen some resignation in a way. We see the resilience of the Ukrainian people. They continue on. But they say they have no other choice. It’s admirable, but they’re doing what they have to in order to survive.”
The Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA gave a statement on the fourth anniversary of the “unjustified and unprovoked full-scale war against Ukraine.”
“The people of Ukraine defend not only their territorial integrity, but their sacred inheritance — the freedom to worship and glorify God, to speak their native language, to cherish their ancestral land and to live according to the principles of freedom, responsibility and democracy,” the council said. “These God-given rights are being violently challenged and systematically violated by the aggression of the Russian Federation.
“We cannot — and must not — remain silent!” the church declared.
When war broke out, there was a consensus that Kyiv would fall in days. Since then, the conflict remains in a near-stalemate in the eastern part of the country.
“Ukraine has its own culture and tradition, which are very much popular with those who leave and come to America,” Bobko said. “At this point, what we have seen the last few years is how the people of Ukraine are strong, devotional, resilient. They have truly shown strong spirits through fighting back, fighting for good and resisting evil. That’s who we are.
“They are fighting for their lives, for their independence,” he added.
