Lyubomyr Grybchuk held a large Ukrainian flag in his hands as he expressed shock over Russia’s invasion of his country.
He learned of the news only days after returning from Ukraine, where his father had recently passed away.
Grybchuk said he fears for the safety of his mother and sister, who still live there.
And now, with President Vladimir Putin on Sunday putting the country’s nuclear forces on higher alert, Grybchuk is scared for what the future holds.
“Right now Ukraine is strong; it’s supporting itself and fighting for its freedom,” he said. “But if [Putin] uses a nuclear weapon, it’s going to be bad for everybody — for the whole world.”
Grybchuk was among more than a hundred people who rallied Sunday morning at St. Sophia’s Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in The Colony, about 30 miles north of Dallas, and later in front of the city’s library.
They joined other North Texans and people around the world who condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and demanded an end to the war.
Prayers echoed through the sanctuary, and the sound of children running around could be heard in the overflow room at the church. The Sunday crowd in The Colony sang the Ukrainian national anthem, followed by chants of “Slava Ukraini, heroyem slava,” which translates to “Glory to Ukraine, glory to our heroes.”
Some of the demonstrators told The Dallas Morning News that they were of Chinese and Laotian descent, and said they attended the event because they believe in democracy.
Inside the church, people lamented the crisis in Ukraine and the human lives lost in the war. The exact death toll is difficult to quantify for a number of reasons.
Outside, dozens of people held flags and signs in support of Ukraine, condemning Putin, whose troops invaded the Eastern European country on three fronts on Thursday, under claims he was protecting Russian ethnics who live in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. Putin has since said that the war is a mission to demilitarize Ukraine.
Across the United States, including in Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York, rallies were held in support of Ukraine. In other parts of North Texas, a caravan demonstration on Friday started in Plano before traveling through other parts of the region. Hundreds of people also rallied Sunday in Fort Worth in front of the Tarrant County Courthouse.
Thousands of demonstrators have also poured out onto the streets in Moscow to protest the war.
The United Nations has confirmed that, as of Sunday, there have been at least 240 Ukrainian civilian casualties, including 64 who were killed, according to reports by The Associated Press. The real count is “considerably higher,” according to the report. Ukrainian officials have said about 3,500 Russian soldiers have been killed during the invasion, it reported.
Olena Boulware, who attends St. Sophia’s, said she and her family are from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The Carrollton resident said she is angry.
“If I could, I would take my husband’s guns and I’d go to Ukraine and fight,” said Boulware, who is in her 60s. “I don’t feel despair. I just feel pure anger.”
Boulware said she is thankful to countries that have sent supplies and money to Ukraine as it fends off the Russian attack and maintains control of its capital.
“You don’t get freedom for free,” she said. “You have to fight, and freedom never comes cheap.”
The rally was organized by the Ukrainian American Society of Texas. Chrystya Geremesz, a founding member of the organization, said the group is collecting donations to send to Ukraine through its website.
Geremesz said Putin is an “evil” person who does not care for his people.
“No dictator does. I don’t know any human being in this world that wants to be tortured and oppressed,” she said. “This is evil.”
Ivan Osadchiy, 72, who is part Russian and Ukrainian, said the war is a tragedy, and added that he prays every night for the conflict to end.
“It’s awful. No one needs this war,” Osadchiy said. “Why? Why? Why do they need to use weapons to kill people — young people?”
Osadchiy was among the about 150 people who attended a special service and vigil Sunday afternoon at River of Life Church in east Plano, which includes Russian and Ukrainian members.
Leonid Regheta, who is the pastor of the church and came to this country under refugee status, said he has seen “amazing levels of support” from people of different cultural backgrounds and nationalities. Although Regheta usually conducts services in Russian, the Sunday event was held in English.
As part of the vigil, two world maps were placed at the front of the sanctuary, and the pastor invited people to write messages of support and prayer on Post-it notes to stick on the map.
He urged those at the service and elsewhere to put their differences behind them and to show compassion to people suffering in Ukraine. He also said he prays for people who are Russian, adding that they are “brothers and sisters” who do not want war.
“If you are a Christian, but your political convictions prevent you from offering a hand to someone in need, please read again the story of the good Samaritan,” he said.
“If your religious beliefs prevent you from offering a prayer for those who are forced to give birth to their baby while hiding in a bomb shelter — check your faith again; it might not truly reflect the heart of the God you serve.”
