SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Dozens gathered outside the San Diego County Administration building, chanting and holding signs, to protest the war in Ukraine Saturday night.
“This is our opportunity to stand up tall and speak —speak for freedom and speak for justice and speak for truth," said a protester to the crowd.
One of the organizers said the show of support was great.
“Frankly this is unbelievable. I can’t believe my eyes,” said Yuliya Georgieva, local activist, and organizer.
“It’s really important to me to get people, the community— the San Diego community and get the attention of the U.S. Government and the international community to see what’s going on in Ukraine that there are real people suffering. This is absolute nonsense.”
It’s a cause that’s personal for her because her entire family, including her parents, are in Ukraine.
“It’s really hard. We’re just staying hopeful," she said. “Unfortunately with people who are in Kyiv, I don’t have any connection right now they’re in bomb shelters hiding up until Monday because there is a commanded hour with my parents in Kyiv I have some access.”
Among the crowd was also Michael Push.
“As a Russian American, I’m embarrassed. As an American, I’m frustrated and as a friend of many Ukrainians, I feel very passionate about them. I want them to be successful," he explained.
Push said he went to the protest to show his support and is even considering donating money to organizations to help Ukrainians.
He tells Ukrainians to hang in there and says the more they do that the more support they will get from other countries.
“I think that they should commit all kinds of resources — all weapons and all financial help and all political and economical pressure and I think it would be more powerful than troops. There are 44 million Ukrainians who totally seem to be willing to fight. That’s plenty enough," he said.
Georgieva said she hopes that some type of an agreement can be struck with Russian president Vladamir Putin to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine.
