CHICAGO, Ill. (NewsNation Now) — When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Ukrainian Village immediately became one of the fiercest epicenters of protest.
Now, more than week into the war, the dedication is still there but it’s manifested in more consistent ways: Kind support for neighbors, a commitment to fund-raising long-term and a pledge to never forget (or forgive) the Russian attack. The destruction has inspired small acts of kindness that show unwavering solidarity for the war-torn country.
“I make money as a teacher so I’m not rich by any means,” said Elena Diadenko, an artist who was born in Ukraine and moved to the United States in her twenties. Her art exhibit is raising money for wounded soldiers in Ukraine.
“I don’t care about anything else,” she said. “I just want to send money because it’s the right thing to do. That’s the least I can do. Because I cannot go and fight.”
Chicago’s Ukrainian Village is home to the largest concentration of Ukrainian-Americans in the Midwest, and the region’s total Ukrainian population is one of the five largest in the country. It’s why the Sunday after the war began, hundreds stood outside the neighborhood’s churches — joined by Illinois’ governor and other local politicians — to protest.
The evidence of that resistance is still here.
“We stand with Ukraine” posters and flags could be seen Thursday on every block of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village.
“Putin stop killing Ukrainians,” reads one handwritten sign fastened to a chain-link fence..
Another sign called upon passersby to donate what they could for Ukrainian humanitarian aid.
A sign on one local bakery’s front door vowed the business would no longer sell Russian goods.
Throughout the city and in pockets of its suburbs, the outpouring of support for the Ukrainian people is clear. And just as Ukrainians still in their native country are pitching in however they can, small acts of kindness and support continue to bolster some Ukrainians living in the U.S.
Annie Miskewitch cried Monday when she returned from a long day of work and discovered a construction-paper Ukrainian flag and heart on her doorstep. Home security camera footage later revealed the anonymous person behind the good deed — a young girl, no older than 8 years old. She was on a walk with her mother when she approached the house, which flies an Ukrainian flag, Miskewitch said.
“All I could remember is really feeling in awe of that moment, of such a relatively simple gesture. And the impact it made right away of just feeling connected, even to her, who I didn’t know,” Miskewitch said.
As buildings in civilian areas of Ukraine’s major cities are decimated, a longstanding Chicago church is in the process of renewal, undergoing interior and exterior renovations. And lately, Masses at the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral have been packed, 71-year-old parishioner George Matwyshyn said.
“It bolsters you spiritually, knowing that people realize that other people are in need,” Matwyshyn said.
Russia carried out its invasion just before the start of Lent, a 40-day religious observation of self-discipline and spiritual reflection leading up to Easter Sunday. More than anything, it’s a time to sacrifice, Matwyshyn said.
“There are several different groups formed. We are collecting money to send clothes, to send food and also send non-volatile equipment: helmets, flak jackets — basically to defend themselves,” Matwyshyn said. “And it’s amazing. I was born here in the states and I’m 71 years old. I have never seen such an outpouring.”
That unity is mirrored in Ukraine. As Eastern cities continue to bear the brunt of Russia’s bombardments, communities in western region of the county are organizing to receive donated supplies, put them into care packages and ship them to suffering Ukrainians near the front lines.
Getting the supplies to some parts of Ukraine has been an obstacle they’re still working to find a way around. Communication and travel in Ukraine is complicated as Russian forces continue to make their way through the independent country.
Chicago resident Maria Klapko was unable to communicate with her family in Kyiv during the first hours of the invasion. She’s since made contact, and says they’ve chosen to stay in Ukraine, where Klapko’s son-in-law is fighting for the nation’s army, she said.
“My second daughter’s there and two grandchildren” Klapko said. “They live in Kyiv and sleep every night in the basement. The building is many stories and every night, very often (they hear) sirens during night.”
Klapko was all smiles Thursday, however, as she proudly held out a painting that she purchased from Diaenko. All of the proceeds from her upcoming gallery opening will benefit the Ukrainian defense force.
Annie Miskewitch’s husband, Mark, said the ongoing war is a fear many Ukrainians harbored since it declared independence in 1991.
That’s why, he said, the support felt world-round comes as such a relief.
“It’s the smallest of gestures, from what could be the smallest or the youngest of people, really makes the world of difference,” Mark Miskewitch said.
And when word of those small gestures find their way back to Ukraine, it delivers inspiration, he said.
“It galvanizes the nation,” Miskewitch said.