Protesters rally for Ukraine on UES, at East Village church; "Please, help our families"
NEW YORK -- The Big Apple is home to the largest Ukrainian population in the U.S. Hundreds gathered Thursday to protest Russia's invasion.
As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported, it was heartbreaking to talk to local Ukrainians and hear how their family members are hiding in basements trying to survive bombings, all while their loved ones in the Tri-State Area are powerless to do anything.
"It's really scary and really hurtful because I'm here and she's there and there's no way for me to help her," said Khrystyna Chorna of Milford, Connecticut.
Chorna broke down in tears during the protest against Russia. She said she's worried sick for her mom trying to stay safe in her native Ukraine.
"I came out here to say that it's not okay to invade my country and it's not okay to hurt civilians, all people, anyone," Chorna said.
Chorna was one of hundreds on Thursday afternoon singing, holding signs, and waving Ukrainian flags. They stood on the corner of 67th Street and Lexington Avenue, near the Permanent Mission of Russian Federation to the United Nations, in solidarity against President Vladimir Putin's invasion.
Even Russian New Yorkers joined in.
"I'm Russian and I'm deeply ashamed for what my country is doing in Ukraine," Upper East Side resident Tatiana Vasilyed said.
"I'm embarrassed. It's terrible what he's doing. Terrible," another Russian woman said.
New York City is home to the largest Ukrainian population in America and our city stands with them, and joins them in praying for those who find themselves under attack this morning.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) February 24, 2022
The unprovoked and unjustified invasion of their homeland is an assault on freedom.
Meanwhile, on Thursday morning at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in the East Village, parishioners gathered to pray for peace.
Andrij Dobriansky is the church cantor and spokesman for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.
"The feeling is shock. The feeling is the punch to the stomach," Dobriansky said. "This entire neighborhood was built on the back of refugees, people who know what destruction is, so this is what we've been fearing for the longest time."
Praying and protesting are the only things helpless Ukrainian New Yorkers can do, as they wait for word from their loved ones.
"This is not only about Ukraine. It's about everybody out there. Please, help our families," one woman said.
Watch Andrea Grymes' report --
Thursday evening, people gathered inside the church, but their minds were somewhere else.
"Everybody worrying, praying," Olga Borynecz said.
Oksana Ivasiv moved from Ukraine to New York 20 years ago.
"What do you think, how I feel? It's very sad. I have family there. They are on the west side, but you never know," she told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
"We couldn't sleep last night since the news came in," said Yana Verkholyak, who is half Ukrainian and half Russian. "I was born and raised in Russia, but after 2014, we moved to Ukraine since my dad is Ukrainian and my mom is Russian, so I have families on both sides."
She now lives in New York with her mom, but her father is still in Ukraine.
"I don't understand how, how our countries can fight each other, since we are brothers and sisters. Like, our countries are the closest relatives we have. Like, every family in Ukraine has someone on the other side and same for Russians, so it's just insane," Verkholyak said.
Around the corner, a line was growing outside Veselka, a Ukrainian restaurant and neighborhood staple for 60 years.
"People are coming from all over and texting and calling and asking how we're doing. It's difficult, it really is," restaurant owner Jason Birchard said. "This is not only a war with Ukraine, this is a war with the free world, and I hope people will stand up and take notice."
Timothy Cardinal Dolan has announced he will attend mass at St. George on Sunday, praying in solidarity with the Ukrainian community.