Update: Organizers for Sunday's rally in support of Ukraine say about 150 gathered at the corner of Northern Lights and the Seward Highway. They brought about 40 poster-sized photos to carry. The images came from an exhibit at the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2022, which showed scenes from the Russian invasion of Bucha, Izyum and Mariupol.
Tetyana Kowach, one of the organizers, said the group wanted to send a message.
"It's not just a business deal with minerals," Kowach said. "People are dying."
Kowach said another rally in Palmer on the same day drew a similar-sized crowd. Both drew a mix of Ukranians and Alaskans.
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While the nation focused on a fiery televised exchange at the White House between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the U.S. President and Vice President on Friday, Ukrainians in Alaska are trying to bring attention to what’s at stake. For the second week in a row, a group of Ukrainians will make a stand in midtown Anchorage for their country.
Last Sunday, about two dozen Ukrainians stood at the corner of Seward Highway and Northern Lights to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion. They held poster-sized photographs of the destruction caused by the war.
Protestors also stood on a street corner in Fairbanks on Monday, singing songs and wearing blue and yellow ribbons. They carried a banner that said, "One Bad Neighbor in Common."
On Sunday, March 2, Ukrainians plan to return to the same spot in Anchorage for a second demonstration.
Tetyana Kowach is one of the organizers. She says the Ukrainian fight for freedom should hit close to home for people who live in a state that was once a part of Russia.
“Those imperialistic desires never faded,” Kowach said. “Alaskans have to be aware of this. They also have to unite with Ukraine, because we are all neighbors.”
Ray Kreig is a longtime Alaskan, who says he decided to join the Ukrainians to show support, after seeing them stand alone at another demonstration. He says Ukrainians have lost tens of thousands of people in the war and wants to honor them for their sacrifice.
“We’re a frontline state with Russia,” Kreig said. “But anybody in the world needs to care about this, because the battle lines for freedom in the world are in Eastern Ukraine right now.”
Kreig is a civil engineer who has worked on permafrost studies in Russia for the petroleum industry. He is also a Republican, who says he supports President Trump but not what he calls Russian President Putin's "Hitler-like" aggression.
Sunday’s rally is outside the Midtown Mall from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. next to the Nordstrom Rack’s parking lot.
Kreig says it’s an opportunity for Alaskans to learn more about why Ukraine needs support.
