'Brothers Fighting Brothers': Ukrainian Native Calls For Peace At Needham Rally
NEEDHAM (CBS) - Kate Graeff's voice broke with emotion Wednesday night, as she told a vigil in Needham about leaving Ukraine at the age of 10 -- and her two grandmothers who are still there amid the Russian invasion.
She was born in Ukraine. Russian was her first language. And she left after the former Soviet Union crumbled.
"The thing that I find most devastating about this conflict is that it's brothers fighting brothers. We share language. We share culture. This is really a war that people did not choose," Graeff said.
Related: How To Help The People Of Ukraine
Roughly 100 people turned out to support Ukraine -- and to hear from their neighbors -- like first generation Ukrainian-Americans Ilana and Daniel Pavlotsky.
"It doesn't just affect a land far away," Daniel told the crowd. "It hits right here at home."
The Pavlotskys shared their anguish over watching the Russian advance -- and feeling helpless.
"I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. I couldn't work out," Daniel told us. "I couldn't do anything. And the only way I know to combat anxiety is through action."
Action like the donations of medical supplies and other essentials that continue to pile up at a home on Ashmont Avenue in Newton, even after a truckload was shipped overseas Wednesday morning.
The group "Sunflower of Peace" will get them into Ukraine from Poland.
"Time is of the essence," says organizer Katya Mavakhova. "This needed to be done yesterday."
She wishes governments were as supportive as people have been.
Back at the vigil, the Pavlotskys want the world condemnation of Russia to get much louder -- and to reach ordinary Russians who might still believe Vladimir Putin's propaganda.
"Many of them don't believe that there's a war," says Ilana Pavlotsky. "Many of them believe that they're going to free Ukrainians from the Ukrainian government, when, in fact, that is not true."
Meantime, Kate Graeff agrees with the sanctions imposed -- but fears it will be everyday citizens who suffer the most.
"My heart breaks to think of us reverting back to the Cold War," she says. "I don't want to return to the 'us versus them' mentality. So, I just say 'pray for peace.'