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‘It hurts so much’: Those with family, friends in Ukraine urge more action

By Josh Morrill
CONCORD MONITOR
Just weeks ago, Polina Sayess was debating with her father whether a Russian invasion of Ukraine was going to become real.

On Wednesday afternoon, she stood in front of the State House with nearly 100 others, tears falling from her eyes, pleading for support and freedom for her homeland.

“We could not imagine that in the 21st century, it’s possible to just drop a bomb on a peaceful population and attack cities without discrimination for human life,” she said. Her family believed “it would not happen and it hurts so much. It affected all of my family and friends who are there.”

Sayess, a family medicine physician at Darmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, stood bearing a Ukrainian flag with co-worker Olga Sobko, as Ukrainian hymns boomed in support of democracy. She couldn’t hold back her emotion, as she thought of her grandmother, whom she just helped bring to the U.S. in February after getting her a visa in 2008.

“It turned out to be amazing because two weeks later, the whole airspace shut down and it would have been impossible,” Sayess said. “She would have stayed there alone in the dark old house, blind and not able to walk. And she has gone through the second world war, so she did not deserve it.”

Sayess moved to the U.S. in 2000, and has since brought her parents, and now her grandmother along with her.

The pro-Ukrainian rally that she attended, organized by Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church member Christina Vogel, was aimed to prompt more action from local and state governments after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. Vogel was adamant that the rally-goers should demand legislators be clear about their plans.

“Tell them thank you for what they have done so far, but to give them a message of urgency,” Vogel said. “They literally have hours or days.”

Two days after U.S. senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen sent a letter to the White House asking President Joe Biden’s administration to ensure Temporary Protected Status to Ukrainians currently in New Hampshire, representatives read letters on their behalf at the rally, stating where they stood on the U.S. response to Russia.

In recent days, Russia has continued to advance their attacks in highly populated areas like Kharkiv and Kyiv, Ukraine’s two largest cities. On Tuesday, Biden announced that he was implementing a ban on Russian aircrafts in American airspace, joining Canada and the European Union who have similar bans.

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“We moved from Ukraine almost 20 years ago and we hope that the world government, including the American government goes further to extend protection to Ukrainian sky grants, grant them support even from Western Ukraine,” she said. “They can do that and provide safety for refugees to even get to the areas where they could be safer. Because a lot of people are stuck in the areas under shelling right now and they cannot get out.”

Viley was also encouraged by the outcome of the rally, and that it has been uplifting to see so many people from Ukrainian descent or not make an effort to fight for and encourage freedom.

“Concord’s community is not the only one that is supporting,” she said. “I know there was one rally last night in Manchester and one in Concord yesterday, as well as Boston. People are gathering everywhere. There are huge online communities supporting from every direction and it’s very, very encouraging.”

Vogel and the church encouraged New Hampshire residents to donate to various causes supporting the efforts in Ukraine, including Razom for Ukraine and Army SOS, as well as the church itself.

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