Hundreds gather at Minnesota capitol to rally in support of Ukraine

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Minnesota Capitol Building in St. Paul this weekend to rally in support of Ukraine as it fights the ongoing Russian invasion that has forced over a million Ukrainians to flee their country in the last two weeks.

The Sunday rally drew hundreds of Minnesotans, including Luda Anastazievsky, chairman of the Minnesota Ukrainian American Advocacy Committee, who spoke to the crowd at the rally. She urged the state Legislature in her speech to divest any funds that may financially benefit Russia.

State Governor Tim Waltz recently issued an executive order that required all state agencies to immediately cease any existing contracts with Russian businesses and contractors.

There are currently about 17,000 Ukrainians living in Minnesota, and about a million in the United States. At this time the United Nations estimates about 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled their country as a result of the Russian attack. Thousands of Americans gathered in cities nationwide this weekend to show support for the Ukrainian people and condemn Vladimir Putin’s attack on the sovereign nation.

“When a sovereign nation is threatened, each and every one of us stands up, fights back and does right by humanity and peace in this world,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who is of Ukrainian heritage. “We cannot stand idly by; we all must do our parts.”