Hundreds rally in Babylon to support Ukraine against Russian invasion

With messages of love, solidarity and pride, hundreds of people rallied Saturday in Lindenhurst to support Ukraine as it battles invading Russian armed forces across multiple fronts.

From children to senior citizens, more than 200 people at Babylon Town Hall sang songs such as the Ukrainian national anthem and chanted, in Ukrainian, messages like "Glory to the heroes," "Glory to the nation," "Putin, hands off Ukraine" and "Ukraine against all." Many rallygoers held or were draped in Ukrainian flags and held pro-Ukraine signs with slogans including "Stop Russian Aggression," "NATO, close the sky over Ukraine" and "Please Pray for Ukraine."

With rallygoers standing behind him, Voloduimyr Tsyalkovsky of Great Neck called for Ukrainians on Long Island to boycott Russian oil and food and talk to their neighbors "about the truth of the situation and what is happening" in Ukraine.

"We see clearly that one country is continuously sending messages to the world that they can do whatever they want, that they can occupy whatever territories they want to," Tsyalkovsky said. "Our mission is to stand up to that aggression through these small steps."

Wearing a wreath of red Ukrainian berries, Ariana Ostafiychuk, 16, of Lindenhurst, was at the rally with her father. Ostafiychuk has a brother living in Ivano-Frankivsk, a city in western Ukraine, and said her family fears for his safety.

"It’s been scary, stressful," Ostafiychuk said. "My mom has been crying her eyes out because that’s her son. She doesn’t want to see him die, she doesn’t want to see him get drafted, that’s a scary situation. We’ve been getting phone calls from all over Ukraine, all our families. I find it very hard to sleep because in the morning over there, that’s been when it’s been most violent. When it’s 2 a.m. here, I’m not sleeping because I can’t, I’m freaking out."

Holding a sign that said "Ukraine, we’re together," Olha Panchuk, 36, of Smithtown, said she has a sister, aunts and cousins living in Ternopil, a western Ukraine city.

"We pray every day," Panchuk said. "I went to work Friday, but you can’t concentrate. You keep wondering if you’re going to lose your loved one. A lot of people were hoping that it would not get to that point, but now that you see it, it’s like World War III."

Despite the grim situation, Panchuk said she is proud of the efforts of Ukrainian soldiers and people willing to stay and defend their country.

"We have to stick together and show our support to show how big Ukraine is, how strong spiritually we are," Panchuk said, "and that Ukrainians will defend their country and we hope it stays that way."

Oksama Nagornova, 60, of Amityville, and her husband Orest Parobok, 62, came to the rally after spending Friday at another pro-Ukraine rally in New York City.

When asked if there was a message she wanted to send to Ukrainians, Nagornova said, "Our thoughts and prayers and financial support are with them, and we want this war to be over and we want everyone to be safe."

Suffolk County Legis. Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) told rallygoers that more needs to be done to support Ukraine in their fight, including boycotting Russian products and pressuring President Joe Biden to do more to stand up for Ukraine.

"They need to know we have their backs. Us here in the town of Babylon, in Suffolk County, we have your back. We’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that you know we are with the Ukrainian people."

Another pro-Ukraine rally will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday in Glen Cove.