RICHARDSON, Texas — Under Saturday’s sunny skies, a sea of sky blue and yellow filled an East Richardson parking lot on Plano Road. The colors represent the Ukrainian flag and were seen flying high during a rally, marking the two-year anniversary of the attack on the Eastern European country.
Ukrainian business owner Olena Jacobs says it's been a difficult time.
“I personally keep in touch with people in Ukraine every single day. And, of course, there are losses everywhere,” said Jacobs.
WFAA has kept in touch with Jacobs since Russia first invaded her home country.
She says by now, the violence has claimed the lives of friends and loved ones.
“In the long run, my heart [is] this just like a big empty hole, and it's an ache that never goes away and you get used to it after a while, but you're just you're never the same.”
Mykola Bartosh, his wife Oksana, and their young daughter were invited to stay with friends in Fort Worth after their hometown of Kharkiv was destroyed.
“It's not just a physical pain, but it's just an emotional, mental pain which people are going through daily because something exploding in the air or next to your house,” said Bartosh.
He says the future is always uncertain for those who were left behind.
“The rockets are constantly flying over the head of people, and every single person who goes to bed in Ukraine is thinking, well, I wake up tomorrow morning or I will die under the rubble," said Bartosh.
For Scott Pitiak of Lewisville, the ties to Ukraine are felt far and wide. He’s proud of his heritage and how the country has survived during these tragic times.
“There's a sense of pride, but also a sense of deep anguish when you start seeing what the people are going through there,” said Pitiak.
Saturday’s rally ended with a celebration of unity, as the North Texans' faith in Ukraine remains definite.
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