Ukrainians Living In North Texas Hold Rallies To Give Their Loved Ones A Voice
SOUTHLAKE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Russian forces invaded Ukraine over two weeks ago, and there's no signs of the war slowing down.
Meanwhile, many Ukrainians living in North Texas are concerned about their loved ones who are still there.
On Sunday, Mar. 13 at the Southlake Town Square, hundreds demonstrated with signs, songs, and chants to show support for Ukraine.
"Right now, my country is destroyed; especially my house is bombed," said Denys, who is from Kyiv.
His family is still in the country, but had to leave the city after their neighborhood caught fire.
"There is no reason why they should have bombed this region," added Denys.
Aline Durham's whole family is in hard-hit Kharkiv. "Every morning I wake up and I check to make sure that they are still alive and they are still with us, and it's the most horrible feeling ever. Nobody in this world has to face anything like that, it breaks my heart."
Durham said it's rallies like this one that give their loved ones a voice as they fight to survive this war. "They're trapped in basements, escaping missile attacks, escaping shelling and they don't have that voice so we have to be the voice of Ukrainian people, we have to protect them."
They believe that the latest economic sanctions, including a ban on oil imports from Russia, are helpful. But every day, they pray their families will make it out of this war alive.
"The Russian [economy] right now is destroyed, and I believe it will be one of the main reasons why they need to stop," Denys said.
"It's like a bad horror movie that we're all watching every single day of our lives," said Durham.
There are several more "Support Ukraine" rallies in the coming weeks.