The Ukrainian Student Association at Penn lit candles in remembrance of those who lost in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Credit: Sadie ScottThe Ukrainian Student Association at Penn hosted a vigil outside College Hall on Monday in remembrance of those who died in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The event drew around 35 people, including Penn students, faculty, and Temple University students — some who had a personal connection to the war, and others who showed up in support. College junior Olga Loiek, an event coordinator for USAP, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the purpose of the vigil was to show “the community and the University and Philadelphia in general that the war is still ongoing.”
“It’s happening every single day,” Loiek said. “We’ve lost tens of thousands of lives in the last three years.”
College junior and USAP Director of Internal Affairs Yaryna Uhera told the DP that the war has had a great impact on Ukraine and Europe in general.
“About 12,000 civilians died during these three years, and 45,000 soldiers died, and almost 400,000 were wounded,” Uhera said. “We want to make people take initiative to change the situation.”
At the start of the vigil, attendees formed a circle in front of the Ben Franklin statue, each holding a candle, and had a moment of silence for lives lost.
The first speaker at the vigil, whom the DP was unable to identify, detailed their family’s experience at the start of the war.
“My parents and my younger sister, who was only 16 … were hiding in basements over the period of one week, and they said that we’re told by our administration that it will be gone in just a matter of days,” they said.
While her mom and sister were able to come to the United States, her father is still in Ukraine, they said.
They continued by thanking Ukrainian soldiers, explaining that they are Ukrainians’ “true warriors” and “heroes.”
The second speaker at the vigil was a Ukrainian veteran, Pavlo Nazarenko.
As a former architect, Nazarenko said he never intended to be a soldier, which contributed to his fear at the start of the war.
“At the end of the day, I realized the only way not to be scared is to fight,” he said.
As the vigil went on, some attendees shared their devastation over the deaths of innocent civilians, while others expressed concern over the “awful display of fascism all across the world.”
One of the final speakers emphasized the importance of this generation of students and their ability to make an impact, especially in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war.
“As students, you have the power to change the future,” she said. “Please keep Ukraine in the front of the conversation, and never underestimate the power of you as a young generation to make change in this country.”
College sophomore and USAP President Mykhailo Sesin outlined ways to “change the agenda” with regard to Ukraine, which included attending the upcoming Ukraine Action Summit in Washington and calling and emailing elected officials about foreign policy.
College senior Dina Zhanybekova, who attended the vigil, told the DP that the event helped create “a sense of hope and care for the people that I care about.”
“I care about what’s happening in Ukraine and I feel really bad for my friends,” she said. “If there is a way to create a feeling that there is still a community and that people still care, I’d like to somehow do that, because it’s been three years and it’s very easy to start forgetting.”
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