HOUSTON – Dozens of Houstonians gathered together on Thursday afternoon in protest of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
The protest was held on Post Oak Road and Westheimer in The Galleria area.
“We have a war on our hands, and I’ve said that the destiny of Ukraine is to defend Europe without its help,” said Roman Cherwonogrodzky, a Houstonian whose parents were born in Ukraine.
Houston’s Ukrainian community isn’t large, but many gathered with signs of protest, wearing the Ukrainian flag as rush hour traffic rolled by, punctuated by the occasional horn honk of support.
“We really need support from all the world,” said Dmytro Kurylemko, a Ukrainian native who lives in The Woodlands.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Russian troops began entering the country. Many residents in the area of Kyiv reported hearing multiple explosions overnight.
Thousands of Ukrainians were seen fleeing the country.
President Joe Biden addressed Russia’s decision, saying, “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war, and now he and his country will bear the consequences.”
Dariya Dashutima lives in Houston, but is from the City of Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine. The city has become a hotspot because it’s about 25 miles from the Russian border.
Dashutima said her father tried to drive to Poland this morning.
“Russia decided to bombard the city and they just decided that it’s going to be more safe for them to go back inside,” she said.
Consul general of the Ukrainian Consulate in Houston Vitalli Tarasiuk called on the west to tighten economic sanctions on Russia, as he urged Houstonians to support the nation.
“There are more than 136 people dead. Two kids are dead. A lot of infrastructure is destroyed,” Tarasiuk said.
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