PARMA, Ohio — With Russian soldiers barreling through Ukraine tens of thousands of miles away, so many people poured into the sanctuary at Pokrova Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church that the pews were not only full, but the hallway was standing room only, and soon the banquet hall had generations standing next to each other in prayer.
"This means a lot to Ukrainians," parishioner Irena Stolar said. "There have been pictures of Ukrainians kneeling in snow in Ukraine to pray for peace."
Thursday evening, members of the community came together in Parma for a program called "Cleveland for Ukraine." The event featured "prayer and meeting to discuss the event in Ukraine and how to take action."
Stolar's Ukrainian parents met at a displaced person's camp following World War II and instilled in her a strong faith in God and love of country. It's something she says is common among Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans, and that passion came through when Marta Tklanko stepped up to the camera with a personal peal.
"All we need and all we know from the whole world is weapons," Tklanko told 3News. "We know no one's going to participate to protect us, but if [Russian President Vladimir Putin]'s going to go through our country and destroy it and erase it, it's going to be other countries."
17-year-old Yuriy Kmiotek was wearing a traditional embroidered shirt, a staple of Ukrainian dress and a piece of clothing that stands in defiance Russian culture. He is ready to organize aid, both Red Cross and military, because he's already lost someone close in this invasion.
"In the first few, well, hour of the invasion, a friend of mine was killed," Kmiotek said, adding he's considering joining the military in his homeland. "He was a border guard in Ukraine. The matter of the war is every Ukrainian has someone over there."
Here, people's emotions are raw, real, and fresh just 24 hours after the invasion began. So, we asked Stolar: What matters most?
"It matters that the whole world knows we are a peace-loving country," she answered. "We don't attack our neighbors."
In response to Russia's attack, the city of Cleveland released a joint statement with Global Cleveland and Cuyahoga County in support of Ukraine.
"We strongly condemn this attack that will result in the loss of innocent lives and is a direct threat to the freedom of so many. As thousands of individuals are displaced from their homes and livelihoods in the face of war and violence, we want to remind the world that the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, Ohio are here to embrace them with open arms," the three groups wrote in the statement.
Both of Ohio's U.S. Senators, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman, issued statements condemning Russia's aggression, as did all members of Northeast Ohio's congressional delegation and Gov. Mike DeWine.
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