It was an emotional gathering on a somber anniversary: two years of war since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  

“We mourn, but we also celebrate these two years of resistance,” declared 16-year Taras Sarazhynskyy. “These two years have been very awakening for the world, and we’re happy to be here still.”

Hundreds came to the Ukrainian American Community Center in Minneapolis Saturday, to mark the date and honor those in the fighting.

“I was crying all week, and I didn’t know why,” says Iryna Petrus. “For me right now, it’s a stage of life to be heartbroken and wholehearted at the same time.”

Petrus explained how she fled from Ukraine with her now six-year-old daughter Polina, just days after the invasion — fearing for her child’s life.

“Until I heard the bomb attack, I was not ready, and I did not believe it,” she says. “We didn’t sleep for three or four days, but we survived. In the beginning, no one wanted to eat or drink, it was so deep a shock for all of us.”

What followed was a long journey. Petrus says she and her daughter crossed the border to Poland, where she volunteered as a translator for about ten days. They then flew to Mexico, before entering the U.S., staying for a month in Texas, then another month in Vermont — before a friend gave them airline tickets to Minnesota, where they were welcomed by the Ukrainian community.

“I made the decision because of my daughter. I don’t know if I would’ve done it if I didn’t have a child,” Petrus explains.

During the center’s program, there were moments of prayer and music.

In the front row of an auditorium, several limb-loss-wounded Ukrainian soldiers were the guests of honor. Some present expressed concerns about whether the United States will continue military aid for the country.  

“The Ukrainians are relying on aid from the West,” said Volodymyr Moisey, a Ukrainian Army Chaplain, who spoke to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS through an interpreter.

Moisey, who arrived in the U.S. just a few weeks ago, says he has served close to the front lines, including one mission just across a river from Russian troops. “If aid doesn’t come, then things will get very, very difficult for everyone in Ukraine,” he says. “Everyone on the front line is fighting for children, for women, for their parents, for their grandparents, and for a larger ideal. They’re fighting for their territory.”

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced ten-year security partnerships with Canada and Italy.

Meanwhile — $60 billion from the United States — to help in the war, remains stalled in Congress.

“Ukraine has and is running out of ammunition, not just at the front lines, but also potentially ammunition for air defenses,” says Stephen Vitvitsky, a spokesperson for Stand With Ukraine Minnesota. “(Ukrainians) are starting to question the world’s resolve in standing with them and supporting them, and so sadness and fear have increased.”  

The United Nations says the war has exacted “a horrific human cost.” Its latest report says more than 10,000 civilians have been killed, and nearly double that number have been injured. The UN says 14 million people — one-third of Ukraine’s population — have fled their homes. Russian and Ukrainian military authorities haven’t released casualty numbers, but some estimates say the losses could amount to tens of thousands of soldiers on each side. Wellness therapist Laurie Ellis-Young, a co-founder of BreathLogic, a Minnetonka nonprofit, spoke about how she spent several years in Ukraine, working with civilians and soldiers.

She says she taught breath therapy and other routines to help people deal with the stresses and strains of a war zone.   

“They are very tired, but they are still very committed, and they desire freedom,” Ellis-Young notes. “If Russia stops, there’s no war. But if Ukraine stops, there’s no Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, Petrus says every day, she checks in on family members who are still in Ukraine.

One of her jobs is to help new arrivals from her homeland adjust to their new lives in Minnesota.

The center estimates about 17,000 Ukrainians and Ukrainian descendants live in the state.

“When you come to the Ukrainian Center, you have to share courage and be brave and still be there for people who are new arrivals right now,” Petrus explains.

There was a feeling of unity among those who came to take part in the program.

“There’s something spiritual and magical when you’re with your own people and they understand you,” adds Stefan Iwaskewycz, from Minneapolis. “It’s part of who you are, not just because of the language, but because of what you hold in your heart.”

Despite the continued fighting — and concerns about U.S. aid — Vitvitsky says he has hope for the future, recalling a quote from his grandfather, who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1940s.

“It’s a Ukrainian saying,” he explains. “It essentially translates into ‘we have to hold onto the frustration and anger of our enemies.’ I think that’s an apt thing for us to remember at this time in particular, two years in.”