Hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside the Federal Building in Westwood Thursday morning, showing their support for Ukraine following the Russian attack there.
The demonstrators held signs that read “Defend Ukraine,” while others waved the Ukrainian flag.
Dasha Koreniienko told KTLA that her parents are currently in Kyiv and she had a panic attack when she heard that the city had been bombed.
“I am trying to reach them all the time, but the connection is unstable,” Korniienko said about her family. “All the people are hiding underground in any shelter because we are expecting invasion, we are expecting hard air force attack.”
In East Hollywood, Ukranians gathered at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, where they prayed for their loved ones back home.
“My whole family is in Ukraine, my dad, my siblings, my grandparents, all my friends … It’s just heartbreaking,” said Hannah Kovalyk.
Kovalyk’s family, which is in Kyiv, can’t leave the country, she said.
“All they can do right now is to go a little farther from the city and find a like country house and hopefully just stay there and be with their families,” she said.
With many Ukrainians trying to flee to Poland, a refugee crisis is building on the border between the two countries.
Laryssa Reifel, president of the Ukrainian Culture Center, estimated there could be 5 million people seeking refuge.
The church’s pastor, the Rev. Ihor Koshyk, said he’s also worried for family and friends back home, as well as those trying to flee.
“I know for all our history with Russia, when the Russian Army comes, they have no mercy to anyone,” he said.
In Studio City, Russians and Ukrainians came together to condemn the violence.
Olya Demchak, an immigrant from Ukraine, said she still has family there and called the attack “heartbreaking.”
“Russia and Ukraine are friends, we always believed in that, our union. That’s why it’s truly shocking for us, that they attacked us,” she said.
At Rasputin International Food Co. in Encino, Russian immigrant Tanya Poll was also upset, condemning the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It’s beyond terrible … It’s a huge shock to the whole community, huge shock, because we never in a million years thought he was going to do what he’s doing,” she said.
Resources for Ukrainian expats in L.A. can be found here.
