Ukrainian Americans rally outside Glen Cove estate owned by Russian government

Ukrainian Americans and their supporters rallied on Sunday outside a Glen Cove estate owned by the Russian government, in a show of solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Holding flags and flowers, they sang the Ukrainian national anthem and called on the United States and others to both send much-needed supplies to Ukraine and to toughen sanctions against Russia.

Russian troops invaded Ukraine last week.

"It is very difficult to be here, so many miles away and across the ocean," said Volodymyr Tsyalkovsky of Great Neck, a community liaison with Ukrainian Americans of Long Island. "Events like this show that people here care."

Tsyalkovsky said both he and his wife are fearful for their family members in Ukraine.

"We are trying to stay in touch as much as we can," he said. "They take it one night at a time. They are fine at the moment, but I don’t think there is any safe place."

He said the United States should consider blocking all Russian imports to put pressure on Russia in an effort to help the Ukrainian people fight back.

People in the crowd held signs with various messages, many targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, such as "Stop Putin, Stop the War" and "Putin Killer."

Nadia Skrypoczka-Russo of South Huntington attended the rally with her 8-year-old daughter, Vera, who wore a ring of flowers in her hair and clutched a sign saying "No Fly Zone."

"Ukraine throughout their history has been fighting for independence, for their freedom," said Skrypoczka-Russo, whose parents were born in Ukraine. "I can only hope my deepest hope and prayer that this would be the last time that they have to fight for their independence."

The estate, named Killenworth, has been the site of many protests since it was purchased in 1946 as a retreat for the United Nations delegation from the former Soviet Union.

Police blocked off part of Dosoris Lane to traffic to accommodate the crowds. Organizers said close to 400 people attended the rally.

One of the organizers, Jolanta Zamecka of Oyster Bay, said she was inspired to gather people together after her 10-year-old grandson Jack expressed concerns about the safety of children in Ukraine.

She said she gave him a hug but wasn’t sure how to respond. Zamecka, whose family comes from Poland, had helped create the Children’s Memorial Garden at Glen Cove’s Welwyn Preserve. The garden honors the children lost in the Holocaust and World War II.

"We have children who are hovering in shelters, who are fleeing for their life, who are scared," she said. "I told my grandchildren, and all the children here, ‘You stand for the children of Ukraine.’ Today, we are all Ukrainians."

The gathering also drew elected officials including U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), state Assemb. Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) and Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck.

Bob Praver, a 96-year-old resident of Glen Cove who also helps maintain the Children’s Memorial Garden, said he felt compelled to come and stand with others in support of Ukraine. His late mother was born in Odessa, a city in Ukraine.

"Ukraine is in a terrible plight today," Praver said. "This is inhumane."

The war weighed heavily on the minds of Ukrainian Americans as they attended Sunday services. The Rev. Wasyl Hrynkiw, pastor of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hempstead, urged congregants on Sunday to think of friends and relatives trying to survive during the invasion and the troops trying to "keep out those brutal invaders who came to destroy our land."

"It is very important that people unite together with their voices and prayers," he said.

A supply drive for Ukrainian refugees, sponsored by Nassau Legis. Joshua Lafazan (D-Woodbury) and the Woodbury Jewish Center, is collecting toiletries such as toothpaste, soap and shampoo as well as household and medical supplies. Donations can be brought to the center at 200 Southwoods Road on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

With Debbie Egan-Chin

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.