Chicago residents are marking the 1,000-day mark since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. NBC Chicago’s Courtney Sisk reports.
The war in Ukraine marks it's 1,000th day Tuesday, and tensions continue to rise in the region even after nearly three years of fighting.
This week, Ukraine launched American-supplied long-range missiles into Russia, something the country's military leaders have wanted to do. The Biden Administration finally authorized use of the weapons in the latest move in the war.
Likely in response to that move, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for Russia's use of its nuclear weapons, allowing Russia to launch a nuclear attack against a non-nuclear country if that country is supported by a nuclear state.
Amid those developments, residents of Chicago's Ukrainian Village weighed in on the war, the future involvement of the U.S. and reflect on the past 1,000 days.
“Life stopped on February 24, 2022," said Olena Levko-Sendeha of Selfreliance Association. "It makes me proud of our people, of our defenders, men and women in the front lines.”
For many in the community, the length of the war does not symbolize Russia's strength, but instead Ukraine's resilience, and relentless unwillingness to give up.
Levko-Sendeha is the program director at Selfreliance Association, an organization helping Ukranian refugees adjust to life in America.
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“It’s hard, it’s very hard. You can’t even imagine what people are going through," she said.
The war is 5,000 miles away, but for many it hits close to home.
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"My brother is still there," said a tearful Halyna Fedus. “For me 1,000 days is 1,000 days of hoping for this war to end.”
Fedus owns the Shokolad Pastry & Cafe on Chicago's West Side. She hopes the new administration will not abandon Ukraine, and believes instead it will work to end the war quicker.
"I believe in this," she said. "It's going to be victory."
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he embraced what he called President-elect Donald Trump's "peace through strength" approach, although his plan is still not clear to the public.
Some in the community fear the Trump Administration will force them to give up land occupied by Russia in order to strike a deal to end the war.
“Ideally we would not want to leave our people stranded under Russian boots," said Mariya Dmytriv- Kapeniak of The Ukrainian Congress Committee Illinois Division. "President Trump ran on the promise to end this war and very quickly. And so he’s under pressure to keep that promise, and if he signs a quick treaty that will provide peace or at least freeze it for a year, it’s not a long term solution.”
Ukrainian community members will rally on Michigan Avenue Tuesday night to mark the nation's 1,000 days of resistance against the Russian invasion.
