ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hundreds of protesters gathered in Venoy Park in St. Petersburg Saturday trying to send a message to Moscow to end the violence and stop the invasion.
People were encouraged to take their anger, sadness, and fears to the mic by expressing loud and clear that they demand peace in the region.
“I just can’t believe that my children and I are seeing a war in this day and age. It’s just terrifying,” said Lena Slywka, who was one of the protesters there. “I’m 100% Ukrainian. My father was born in western Ukraine,” said Slywka. She said her father left Ukraine when he was just seven years old and though most of her family has immigrated to the United States, she is concerned for her family who is still there. “Our families are all terrified over there deciding the men have to stay and fight and want to stay and fight. They don’t want to leave their country,” said Slywka.
Nataliya Kolislychenko was born in Ukraine but has been living in the United States for 16 years. She also has still has family there and is concerned for their safety. “I have my mom, dad, my sister, and my niece are still there,” said Kolislychenko. This as the Ukrainian government reports nearly 200 deaths since the invasion started.
Nicole Ford is a professor at the University of Tampa. She is an expert in matters dealing with Russia and Ukraine. She said there are many reasons why Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, but one of the main ones is based on the idea that Ukraine was originally part of the Russian Emperor. “It ends up being an existential threat to the entirety of Europe when you have a world leader who is advocating an ethnonational argument.”
She says the United States and Europe should continue to heavily arm the Ukrainians to continue to defend themselves and continue to enforce tougher sanctions on Russian oligarchs.
