Protest Against Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Held In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Demonstrators protested Russia's invasion of Ukraine and showed support for Ukrainians during a peaceful protest in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

Dozens of people from different countries gathered on Forbes Avenue on Thursday night. Some people were cloaked in Ukrainian flags, holding signs that said, "No War in Ukraine" and "Stand with Ukraine."

"I'm heartbroken and it feels like I'm having a bad dream and I'm going to wake up soon. But no, it's today's reality and it's a real war of the territory of Ukraine. No one believed that," said Karina Shevchenko, who is from Kyiv, Ukraine. She's lived in Pittsburgh for several years.

Shevchenko is worried sick about the people in her home country who are searching for shelter, even taking cover in subways turned bomb shelters. She said she is checking on her family members in Ukraine as much as she can.

"I have two brothers and a nephew who is a soldier who is there on the border. He's actually protecting Ukraine," Shevchenko said.

Shevchenko organized the peaceful protest with a woman from Russia and a woman from Belarus. They discovered one another on Facebook when they were searching for a way to stand up against the attacks.

"It really shows that this message of unity that all of us want to be together, stay together, we don't want to fight, we don't want the war," Anastasia Gorelova, who is originally from Moscow, Russia

"I just hope that this message doesn't die and will continue on, because so many innocent lives are just going to be lost for nothing," said Alesia Kaplan, who is from Belarus and has lived in Pittsburgh for two decades.

It didn't matter where anyone was from during Thursday night's protest, as they shared a unified message of peace.

Meanwhile, the death toll is climbing, and world leaders are calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt his missile and troop assault.

"None of the civilians can benefit from this stuff with wars. The only thing we get is sadness, so hopefully, all the issues will be solved as soon as possible and we will see peace all over the world," said Javad Jabbarli, who is from Azerbaijan and lives in Pittsburgh.

Demonstrators have also gathered in several other major cities in the U.S., including New York City and Washington, D.C.

In:
• Ukraine
• Russia
• Pittsburgh