Close relatives and descendants of Ukrainians gathered half-a-world away Sunday in Naples to protest what they said was continuing Russian aggression against their homeland.
“Children are being taught evacuation drills and procedures,” said Natalie Santarsiero, president of the Naples branch of Ukrainian National Women’s League and one of more than two dozen residents from Naples, Bonita Springs, Marco Island, Estero and elsewhere gathered in front of the Waterside Shops. “They’re not concerned with an invasion but fearful of bombing of plants and factories vital to the Ukrainian economy.”
Nearly 5,800 miles away in Ukraine on Sunday, there were reports of hundreds of artillery shells exploding along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists. Thousands of people were evacuating eastern Ukraine, further increasing fears that the volatile region could spark a Russian invasion.
Western leaders warned that Russia was poised to attack its neighbor, which is bordered on three sides by about 150,000 Russian soldiers, warplanes, and equipment. Russia held nuclear drills Saturday, conducted conventional exercises in neighboring Belarus, and has ongoing naval drills off the coast in the Black Sea.
The United States and many European countries have claimed for months that Russia is trying to create pretexts to invade. They have threatened massive, immediate sanctions if it does.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing a sharp spike in violence in and around territory held by Russia-backed rebels and increasingly dire warnings that Russia plans to invade, called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him and seek resolution to the crisis.
“I don’t know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I am proposing a meeting,” Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference, where he also met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Zelenskyy said Russia could pick the location for the talks.
Previously: A generation vanishes: Naples Ukrainians illuminate the history of their genocide
The Naples protest was sparked by what local Ukrainian supporters said is continued aggressive tactics by Russia.
“People of the Ukraine, especially the young people, are willing to fight,” Santarsiero said. “They’ve been independent for 30 years. We know the United States is behind us. We are grateful.”
Once known as the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine has long had a contentious relationship with Russia, Santarsiero said, and was once part of the old Soviet Union.
“What Russia did, when Stalin was ruling, was transfer Ukrainians all over and brought ethnic Russians to the Ukraine,” she said, explaining that this separation of cultures is fueling the current strife.
Another reason for the protest was Sunday’s anniversary of what Vera Eliashevsky of Naples said was the eighth anniversary of the “Heavenly Hundred Heroes.”
The observance stems from protest participants who were killed by snipers during the Revolution of Dignity in the Ukraine in 2014.
Related: I’m a Russian journalist. Here’s what the HBO series ‘Chernobyl’ got right.
More: Kudos and kicks: Warning: Political mischief ahead
Eliashevsky, a member of the Kyiv-Chicago Sister Cities International, said support will be important to the region.
“The Ukraine will need a mini-Marshall plan when this is over,” she said, referring to the U.S. help given Europe after World War II.
One of those waving a “Hand off Ukraine Putin” placard was Andrew Futey, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, one of the largest organizations for Ukrainians in the U.S. and represents 2 million Americans of Ukrainian descent.
“Our message is to ‘stand with Ukraine’,” Futey said. “(And) to prevent further Russian aggression. Over eight years more than 14,000 Ukrainians have been killed by the Russians, nearly 2 million have been internally displaced, so we are asking for the United States government, we are asking for our allies, to give Ukraine the lethal defensive weapons it needs to defend itself, to sanction Russia through all sectors … to make sure Mr. Putin understands to keep his hands off Ukraine.”
Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook), @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or mbraun@news-press.com. The Associated Press contributed to the report.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Russian tactics in Ukraine draws protest, criticism in Naples Florida
