'Hopefully Someone Will Pay Attention To This;' Stand With Ukraine Protestors Flood Streets of Santa Monica Sunday

WEST LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Hundreds of Los Angeles County residents could be seen flooding the streets of West Los Angeles to rally for peace in Ukraine Saturday and again on Sunday in Santa Monica.

As Ukrainian military attempts to stave off the Russian invasion for the fourth day, people around the world continued to offer their support for Eastern Europeans in any way they can. For the fourth-consecutive day on Sunday, Angelenos gathered in protests around the county, following suit with thousands of others around the nation.

Crowds first met on Thursday in both Studio City and outside of The Federal Building in Westwood, where CBSLA reporters spoke with protestors of both Ukrainian and Russian descent who were adamantly against the war. The oldest Russian Orthodox Church in Southern California also held a prayer service to pray for peace and wisdom for all parties involved.

Again on Friday, protestors gathered on the pier in Santa Monica, where several attendees could be seen holding signs that read "Stop Putin!" "No War in Ukraine" and "Save Ukraine!," amongst many others.

Saturday saw even more locals hit the streets in West Los Angeles, as all four corners of Santa Monica and Sepulveda Boulevards could be seen flooded with protestors holding similar signs and promoting a similar message - Stand With Ukraine.

They specifically chose the location as it houses one of the offices of Senator Dianne Feinstein, as protestors sought to fulfill demands for financial, military and humanitarian aid for the country of Ukraine. They also called for President Biden and other world leaders to completely cut Russia off in hopes of limiting their access to resources.

One of the event's organizers, Mariana Boyko, also mentioned that they are hoping for more sanctions for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We want to ask the U.S. government to (completely) shut off Russia from the rest of the world," she said.

Saturday's rally again saw dozens of emotional Los Angeles locals who formerly called both Ukraine and Russia home, passionately protesting for peace in their beloved homeland.

"We have family and friends, and they are hiding right now. We are worried -- that's why we are here," Boyko continued.

Another of the many was Pavlo Stoyanovskyy, who said the war doesn't just affect the two Eastern European countries currently involved.

"it's not just (a) Ukrainian war," he said, "it's war for all European countries."

Olga Popel, who is also originally from Ukraine, noted what it meant to see so many people -- not just those with Eastern European roots -- gathering to support their war-torn homelands.

"It's extremely fulfilling and satisfying to see that we, my family and I, are shared in our emotion and our commitment to democracy and written obligations with many people," she said.

The group was supposed to start gathering at 1 p.m. Saturday, but that didn't stop hundreds of attendees from getting there well ahead of schedule, hoping to emphasize the point they were trying to make.

"I'm not Ukrainian, but I have a lot of Ukrainian friends - I support the cause and it's really a tragedy man," said Maxmilian Finch, another protestor who took a stand for Ukraine on Saturday.

One woman, originally from Russia, could be seen weeping on one of the street corners. When she was approached, she acknowledged the sad reality that many are currently facing.

"I'm Russian - I'm so ashamed," Tatiana Charchin said. She also mentioned that despite this, she felt a duty to partake in Saturday's rally.

"Because we have to stand with Ukraine - all of us."

CBS reporters reached out to Senator Feinstein's office for comment, to which they received no response.

However, Sen. Feinstein did release a statement Thursday, which read in part:

"It is incumbent on all nations to ensure that Putin and his government are met with severe consequences. Putin must understand that such aggression will not stand.''

Protestors again met in several Southland locations Sunday, notably on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica where they marched towards Ocean Avenue.

CBS Reporter Jake Reiner was again on the scene to speak with protestors of the Stand With Ukraine movement.

Sunday's protest was put together by the Ukraine Cultural Center in Los Angeles, scheduled for 2 p.m., the protest also came with a list of demands that could be seen on the organization's Facebook event invite, which read:

"Ukrainian people are currently under horrific war attack from Russia. We DEMAND of the Biden administration the following:

1. Close the Sky over Ukraine #CloseTheSky

2. Immediately provide military aid to Ukraine, especially the air defense systems and the heavy weaponry, as well as financial and humanitarian aid.

3. Enact Hellish Sanctions on Russia right now, including cutting Russia off from SWIFT. Tomorrow may be too late.

4. Isolate Russia in all possible formats on the world stage."

The Ukrainian national anthem could be heard blaring throughout the crowd, not only from speakers but from the voices of the hundreds of attendees, many of which were Ukrainian nationals or Ukrainian-Americans who now call the Southland home.

As the protestors marched towards Ocean Avenue, they again hoped that someone with power to make a difference would see their demonstrations and put some change into action.

"Hopefully the more numbers that come out, the more we can be seen on the news - hopefully someone will pay attention to this," said Chelsea Cartabiano, whose facial covering bore a makeshift Ukrainian flag as she marched Sunday.

They also hoped that the Ukrainians themselves saw that they weren't alone, and that people around the world were fighting for their cause.

"I hope that Ukrainians see our posts," said Abbi Atchison. "I hope they see our videos and they see that we're with them."

Natalia German has lived in the Marina Del Rey area for the last 30 years, but seeing her homeland turn into a war zone has been trying, especially as she still has many family members who call Ukraine home.

"My sister-in-law - she's still in Kyiv. She is underground in a building, now for 4 days," she told Reiner.

Oleg Gladchenko was another native Ukrainian who attended Sunday's rally, joined by his children. Gladchenko was 12 when he moved to the United States, but much of his family still calls Kyiv home, he disclosed that he and his family members in America are "very nervous and every worried. ... We have a lot of family in Kyiv, Slavuta."

Ukrainians weren't alone in showing their support Sunday, as many people with Russian roots also joined the protest to shun the war that has them ashamed in the government of their home country.

"My whole family lives in Russia and my heart is just bleeding," said Katrina Repina. "I'm not apologizing for me being Russian, I'm apologizing for the situation, for the president, for everything they are going through these days."