Under gray skies, the dome of the State Capitol blazed blue and yellow in remembrance.
It has now been four years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Dozens of attendees, including members of the Ukrainian community, gathered on the steps as it began to rain. Some carried or wrapped themselves in the Ukrainian flag. Others wore photographs of civilians and servicemembers killed by Russian forces.
All called for an end to the fighting, for Ukraine to remain free, and for a lasting peace that some will never see.
The solemn, and at times emotional, event was organized by two volunteer organizations, Ukrainian American House and the Sunflower Society. The latter holds a vigil on the 24th day of every month at the Capitol. The groups also gathered donations to purchase tourniquets and other medical supplies.
Songs rang out across the Capitol grounds, including the Ukrainian National Anthem and spiritual anthem. A moment of silence was held, along with an interfaith prayer. The California National Guard presented the colors of the United States and Ukraine.
Dmytro Kushneruk, Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco was among the night’s many speakers. He said the vigil was a demonstration of Ukrainians’ “unbreakable resolve,” and thanked the community for their donations and continued advocacy. “You have kept Ukraine visible, and you kept Ukraine strong,” Kushneruk said, adding that for Ukrainians “there is no pause button, no distance from consequences, no luxury of forgetting.”
“Today we remember the fallen, we honor our defenders, we stand with those who suffer,” he continued. “But we also want to speak about the future. A future where Ukraine is free, where justice is restored, where peace is dignified and secure.”
Almost every speech was punctuated with Ukraine’s national salute, “Slava Ukraini!” (Glory to Ukraine!) Attendees roared in response, “Heroiam slava!” (Glory to the heroes!)
For the visitors it was a time to remember, mourn, and take action. Here are some of their stories.
Oleh Kernytskyy
Oleh Kernytskyy lives in the East Bay. He came to the U.S. in 1999 from the Western Ukrainian city of Ternopil. He said he was at home when the war broke out, and learned about it online and through social media.
“Nobody expected this, this was (a) shock for everybody… this was a big surprise for the whole world, not just for Ukraine,” he explained.
Kernytskyy said he has done a lot of intensive volunteer work over the last year to support his countrymen. “I took care (of) a Ukrainian boy, 16 years old, because (a) Russian tank attack him, crush his leg,” he said.
“I work as an interpreter in a school. I met a girl, seven years old, and she spent four months in the basement without electricity, without water. Parents melted snow to make water… it’s horrible stories, but we need to help those people.”
He said the United States has a lot of resources to help Ukraine, and that it is in the country’s best interests to fight for freedom in a “war between light and dark forces.”
“I think everybody needs to understand, result of this war will impact everybody,” Kernytskyy said. “It seems far away from America, but depending from the war, people will live happy… and if war ended another way, then (it) will be very bad for everybody.”
Wrapped in the Ukrainian flag, he said it was important for others to see the colors. “They will understand about Ukraine, how brave those people (are),” Kernytskyy said.
Arina Bugera
Arina Bugera vividly remembers the first days of the war. Born and raised in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the 15-year-old described the call her mother received at 4 a.m., and the mad scramble for passports and other necessities as the bombing started.
“We run outside, it’s still dark. Then we see an entire fleet of Russian warplanes… they were flying very low,” Bugera explained. “It was the moment I realized the explosions that were at the beginning… there are enemies all over us.”
Bugera’s family escaped to Poland, then traveled to Qatar before arriving in Sacramento on March 1, 2022. She eventually became a volunteer with the Sunflower Society.
“I always felt patriotic toward my country, toward my heritage. I came to the rallies here in the capital. I found community. I found people who like me escaped the war, who came here earlier,” she said.
As she collected donations, Bugera said she is doing her part for the war effort. “This means one less drop of blood spilled, one less body of a Ukrainian soldier or civilian going into the tomb for a war that we did not start,” she said.
Bugera said support for Ukraine has declined over the years, especially as media attention turned elsewhere. But she believes the U.S. government can push Russia to end the war, and said being surrounded by supporters gives her the strength to fight on.
And she wants to go back home one day. “I cannot imagine my life without my country,” Bugera said. “My priority is to help Ukraine rebuild itself, and I want to be there when this happens.”
Oleg Korovyanko
Oleg Korovyanko works for the California Department of Health Care Services. Originally born in Ukraine, he became a U.S. citizen in 2009. In his hands he held a sign with a picture of two Ukrainian servicemen, their faces obscured with emojis.
The text above the image reads “prove that American Ukrainians stand together with our country. Your help is not just donations. It is equipment delivered on time. It is to save lives.”
For Korovyanko, the war began with phone calls. “I called my mom, and also I got (a) call from my Russian friend; he was apologizing that this was happening,” he explained.
Korovyanko said his mother has since passed away, but before she did, “she wanted me to give all money to (the) Ukrainian military to keep fighting.”
When it comes to ongoing support, Korovyanko is proud that California continues to stand by Ukraine. He expressed gratitude for Governor Gavin Newsom and congressional members on both sides of the aisle, but added more needs to be done.
“The thing that we try to say is that Russia actually uses our equipment. Russia uses our skills, Russia uses our economic might to kill people in Ukraine.”
Korovyanko said Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians share common goals, and called on people to “stand for reality.”
“Watch the difference between us and the other world, with Russia… we are looking ahead for a future. Other people together with Putin, they look backwards,” he said.
“I hope that Ukraine stands. Ukraine is alive, Ukraine is praying, and Ukraine is fighting.”
Tetiana Markova
Tetiana Markova traveled from San Jose to Sacramento for the vigil, and stood at a booth filled with flower crowns, keychains, knitted animals and other gifts. Behind her hung the flags of the Ukrainian 38th Marine Brigade and 72nd Mechanized Brigade, bearing the signatures of multiple soldiers.
Her husband, Mykola Markov, stood nearby wearing a cap emblazoned with an angry green tractor — the badge of the “Ukrainian Tractor Brigade,” referring to viral videos from early in the war of Ukrainian farmers salvaging abandoned Russian military equipment.
Markova began making and selling trinkets four years ago with friends as a way to support her country and its defenders.
We didn’t know what to do, how we can help, so we started to make some stuff,” Markova said, adding that the work kept her mind occupied.
The money she raises will be used to buy cars for military transport. “We can feel that it’s our part in our victory,” she continued, pointing to the signatures on the flags. “When we get the ‘thank you’ from our warriors, (it) is really appreciated by us.”
Markova thanked Americans for their help but acknowledged the country is facing a lot of problems, economically and politically. Regardless, Markova asked people to not lose sight of the ongoing conflict.
“What happened now in the U.S. and also in Ukraine, and in Europe, everything is related. Please (don’t) forget.”
Vladimir Fedorov
Vladimir Fedorov arrived at the Capitol draped in the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag, but he’s not Ukrainian.
He’s Russian.
“I see the war start in (2022), I live(d) in Russia … that was my last year in college. I was 18 years old,” Fedorov explained. “All people in my circle support war, support Russia. It’s not normal, it’s very crazy.”
“These people support not just Putin, (they) support the president who start the war, is very aggressive, very fascist, very Nazi.”
Fedorov said he was charged with extremism in Russia because of his support for Ukraine, and left the country two years ago to come to Sacramento. “It’s okay in the United States, it’s normal, I support Ukraine. But in Russia it’s criminal,“ he said.
Fedorov didn’t mince words when it came to supporters of the war. “I don’t want to talk with them,” he said bluntly.
Amid a sea of flags, signs and photographs, Fedorov said it was important to stand in solidarity with Ukrainians and their supporters, including other Russians. “We can feel this fire in the heart. You just want to cry, and the same moment you just smile a little bit because you’re together with the same people,” Fedorov said.
“Maybe it’s not from your country, from Ukraine, but you are together.”
