Riverhead Rally For Ukraine: 'Glory To Our Heroes'

RIVERHEAD, NY — Carrying signs that said "No War," "Glory to Ukraine, Glory to Our Heroes," "Ukraine Needs Support: Just Words Are Not Enough," and "Stand With Ukraine," members of the East End came together in solidarity for Ukraine Monday — after news of a Russian invasion last week sent shock waves reverberating throughout the world.

The rally, organized by St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Church in Riverhead, was held outside Riverhead Town Hall and brought out a crowd of more than 100, with speakers including Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar, Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, and many from the Ukrainian community.

Members of the Riverhead Town board also attended the event, which had residents from toddlers to seniors gathered together, holding signs, and voicing their fierce loyalty to the Ukraine. Those in attendance sang the Ukraine national anthem and other Ukrainian songs.

Those who spoke shared their support for a people under siege.

"The Ukraine is a free and independent democracy, which is a shining light in the face of Communism and tyranny," Aguiar said. "The Ukraine, has every right to defend its borders, to protect its citizens, and to protect its freedom. It is also disturbing, to see the seizure of the Chernobyl nuclear reactors by Russian forces. This act poses a perilous danger to the entire world. Under this perilous and unsettling time, my prayers go out to the citizens of the Ukraine and to our Ukrainian community here in Riverhead."

Added Fleming: "We stand in solidarity with the leadership of Ukraine — the Ukrainian people, as they face the unprovoked and brutal aggression of Vladimir Putin and the Russian military."

Fleming added, of the Ukraine people: "In the face of unthinkable terror and suffering, their courage offers hope that rising authoritarianism around the world — that threatens the lives and freedoms of Ukrainians and cherished democratic freedoms across the world — is not as strong as Vladimir Putin and his cronies have projected and will not destroy democracy."

The Ukrainian people and leadership must have the full support of allies across the globe and decisive action, including "condemning Russia's unwarranted aggression imposing effective sanctions, and providing necessary military aid" is critical, Fleming said.

As news broke Thursday that Russia had declared war, invading the Ukraine with explosions reported, the local Ukrainian community in Riverhead was left reeling.

The Rev. Bohdan Hedz of the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Riverhead spoke to Patch and described how he and his parishioners, who gathered for Mass Thursday morning, were feeling.

"Like every normal person, it's a shock, there is disbelief," he said. "Now we have to do what we have to do — we have to defend ourselves. Everyone is just hanging on, preparing to fight."

Hedz said he and his parish will continue their efforts to help their friends and family back in Ukraine. "Since 2014, when the whole situation unraveled in the Ukraine, our parish has been very proactive in sending humanitarian aid."

Fears are very real for those living in Ukraine, Hedz said, adding that his congregation had sent a big shipment of humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine two weeks ago.

"We'll see if it gets there with the routes disrupted at this point," he said.

When asked what the local community could do to help, Hedz said he and others are grateful. However, he said: "We don't know what the immediate need is. We're trying to establish that communication. The lines are kind of faulty right now."

What's always needed, he said, are medicine, including simple, over-the-counter products. The church is collecting items; financial help is also needed to send the packages overseas, he said.

His ties to Ukraine are deeply personal, Hedz said: Both his mother, and his wife's mother, father, sister and brother are living in Ukraine.

"It's frightening," he said. While his mother is on the opposite side of Ukraine, his wife's family is "basically on the front lines," he said. Thankfully, he said, while they heard the explosions, which began about 4 a.m. on Thursday, it was quiet. "They are deliberating. If it worsens, they will evacuate."

His own mother, 67, will not leave, Hedz said.

"My mom is a tough cookie, and I'm not joking," he said. While she has a visa and Hedz told her she will always have a place in the United States with him and his family, she refused. "She said 'no,'" he said. "I asked, 'What are you going to do?' She said, 'If I need to bear arms, I'm going to fight,'" he said. "She's my mother and I know her. I wouldn't expect anything less."

Hedz predicted a grim reality: "This is going to have a lot of repercussions in the world. The world is not going to be the same."

Mass is being held daily at the church, at 820 Pond View Road, every day at 9 a.m. Donations can be sent to that address, Hedz said.