Fresno leaders welcome Ukrainian refugees, condemn Putin in flag-raising ceremony
Fresno residents and leaders condemned Russian attacks on Ukraine and welcomed refugees to the city during a Ukrainian flag-raising ceremony at Eaton Plaza in downtown Fresno on Tuesday.
A crowd of about 50 people wore blue and yellow, held signs and sunflowers, waved Ukrainian flags, and sang the Ukrainian national anthem as the flag was raised.
“I want the Ukrainian people to know that not only do we stand with you in solidarity, our doors will be open to you,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said.
Dyer was joined by Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza and Fresno County Supervisors Steve Brandau and Nathan Magsig. Other school, city, county, and state leaders also attended the ceremony.
Brandau invited Mykhaylo Skitsak, a Ukrainian nurse who works at Community Regional Medical Center, to address the crowd.
Skitsak said he was born in 1991, the year Ukraine declared independence.
“I don’t know any other Ukraine but free Ukraine,” he said. “So it breaks my heart, and the heart of my fellow citizens, that Ukraine is being bombarded and its freedom is being taken away.”
It was encouraging to see so many Western countries stand with Ukraine, Skitsak said, and that made him proud to be an American.
Invoking the United States’ national anthem, Skitsak said: “Ukraine is definitely the land of the brave, and I’d like to see Ukraine (be) the land of the free.”
Dyer described Russian President Vladamir Putin as “evil” and a “monster.” He also expressed his respect for Ukrainians and the bravery they’ve shown.
The leaders said Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on democracy and independence.
“This flag-raising is not just a symbol of hope for Ukraine, but rather a crystal clear message that we in the city of Fresno stand for democracy at large,” Esparza said.
Magsig called on the federal government to stand with Ukraine and other NATO partners.
“We cannot be silent because over time, as our European partners continue to have to face dictators like this, eventually this problem will come to us. Right now, we need to stand up and stop this,” he said.
Rev. Ivan Mileyev, president of the Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Association, called on residents to pray for Ukraine and American leaders to make sound decisions.
Ukraine knows what it means to be free, Mileyev said. “They earned it and paid for it,” he said.