‘Lexington stands strong in support of the people of Ukraine.’ Hundreds gather for vigil
Shortly before attending a Wednesday evening vigil in support of his native Ukraine, Yaroslav Boyechko spoke on the phone with a friend in the war-torn country.
“He said: ‘Kiev has not fallen and it will not fall,’” Boyechko told the crowd of hundreds who gathered at the Robert Stephens Courthouse square for a peace vigil for Ukraine.
Boyechko left Ukraine in 1989 but he and every Ukrainian in the Lexington area still has family and friends in the country, he told the crowd.
“They kill peaceful citizens,” Boyechko said of the Russian army. “They destroy and kill children. The Russians are bombing the cities as the people try to sleep. Many people leave their villages, the cities, their homes.”
Victor Selepina left Ukraine in 1998 when he was 8. His father only had $20 in his pocket when the family arrived at JFK Airport in New York. He lived in New York for eight years before moving to the Lexington area, drawn here by the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church in Jessamine County.
Selepina said the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church has nearly 1,000 members — all of whom have family in Ukraine.
“This war has unified the Ukrainian people,” Selepina said. Selepina said they all pray for the “swift and complete withdrawal” of Russian troops.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said the vigil was organized to support the area’s Ukrainian community and for Lexington residents to join others around the world who are calling for the end of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We are here in the name of peace and the rights of free people to determine their own destiny,” Gorton said. Russia’s attack against Ukraine was unprovoked, she said.
“Tonight we stand against the attack of a Democratic nation,” Gorton said. “We stand against the indiscriminate killing of people. This is all about people. Free people around the world and their right to self determination. Lexington stands strong in support of the people of Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s heroism should be applauded, she said. He has stood up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and refused to leave Kiev, she said.
Zelensky has been seen on Kiev’s streets, protecting his people, she said. “That’s real heroism.”
The event was organized by Christel Broady and Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilwoman Jennifer Reynolds, who are on the Mayor’s International Affairs Advisory Commission. The commission helps guide policy regarding the city’s international population.
In addition to Wednesday’s vigil, several Lexington buildings — including City Center downtown — will be lit blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, for the next week.
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 10:08 AM.
