SALT LAKE CITY — Saturday marked two years since the start of the war in Ukraine.
"I remember the first day — everybody remembers the first day when we heard that Kyiv was bombed," said Vladimir Makarov.
Utah's Ukrainian community gathered at the state capitol building to commemorate the day and lean on each other for support.
"We want to honor the people who fell in this war and support those who are still fighting there," said Maryna Detsyura, director of the Utah Ukranian Community group.
The war anniversary comes just days after Senator Mike Lee's visit to the same building. He explained to state lawmakers why he doesn't support sending anymore aid right now.
"I would want it to be focused on military aid rather than – for example, in this aid package, it's got $8 billion that would go to the Ukrainian government that could be used to pay the salaries of civilian employees, bureaucrats and other workers of the Ukrainian government. That's important but nor our thing and that's concerning," he said Wednesday.
Lee's words are a disappointment for Ukrainians who also call Utah their home.
"The help the United States is giving to Ukraine is great," said Makarov. "But it should be more and should be sooner."
That's one of the reasons why allies like Keanan Beatty took part in Saturday's crowd. He spent the last year servicing hundreds of Ukrainian refugees who recently moved here for help.
"We've had soldiers that have come here that have fought in the front lines, been in the trenches, been injured," he said. "I can't even imagine their pain. That's kind of why I want to be there for them because they need every support they can get."
