CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hundreds of people born in Ukraine have relocated to Charlotte and now call the Queen City home. As Russia continues its invasion, these people worry about their friends and family back in their motherland.
“I wore my mask and the tears were just coming down," Lyudmyla Rekut said, recounting how she felt when she first learned about the invasion. "I was just crying all day long.”
Rekut is now in action mode, determined to raise awareness. She was one of more than 150 people rallying Thursday afternoon against the Russian attack against Ukraine.
She said almost all of her family is in Ukraine, and many of them are sheltering in basements to escape gunfire and explosions.
“We called my husband’s sister last night and she said they spent all night under the ground," Rekut said.
She also said there were Russians in the crowd standing in solidarity at the rally on Thursday afternoon. That support is widespread throughout the Charlotte area.
"It's such a painful topic," Irina Tishchenko, who runs an Eastern European grocery store called The Golden Key, said. "It's frightening when mothers lost their children."
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Tishchenko said the majority of her customers are Russian-speaking and from different nations like Armenia, Russia, and Ukraine. She hopes her store is a safe haven for all.
As gunfire and air raid sirens filled the streets of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, Rekut hopes the international community will do more to help. A second protest is in the works for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Romare Bearden Park in Charlotte.
“I think the sanctions need to be more aggressive towards Russia," Rekut said. "And not towards people but towards the president and towards the government."
One of the things protestors want is for Russia to be cut off from the international banking system known as SWIFT. It's an option that’s been discussed, but not yet implemented.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.