Ukrainian church hosts prayer vigil as Russia invades homeland

After weeks of mounting threats, Russia has now invaded Ukraine – but the Ukrainian community at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Bloomingdale warns that this is not just about their homeland, but the survival of democracy itself.

St. Andrew pastor, Rev. Victor Poliamy, an Elgin resident, said the church is hosting a prayer service at 7 p.m. tonight and all are welcome to participate in supporting Ukraine. The church is located at 300 Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale.

John Jaresko, president of the church’s board, said the invasion is the work of a tyrant challenging the world order and democracy around the world.

“We feel terrible about what we are seeing. We can only hope the world reacts. Ukraine is just the first stage,” Jaresko said.

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced another round of sanctions targeting Russia and the mobilization for more U.S. troops to Germany after President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier Thursday called Russia’s attempt to seize the Chernobyl area “a declaration of war against the whole of Europe.”

Both Poliamy and Jaresko compared Putin’s justification in invading Ukraine as no different than when Hitler rose to power in the 1930s. Hitler used a threat of war to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Putin claimed support for the southeastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, areas of Russian separatists, in his build-up to the invasion.

“It’s the same thing as Hitler marching into Czechoslovakia,” Poliamy, a Bloomingdale resident, said. “A lot of innocent people will be killed. Ukraine is a peace-loving people. They never attacked anybody. They only want to defend themselves. The Germans were there. The Hungarians attacked and of course Russia – but they (Ukrainians) never attacked anybody.”

Jaresko said Putin is trying to rebuild the eastern bloc from a time when the Soviets were regarded as a superpower. The U.S. might not feel directly involved by the invasion, he said, but Putin is threatening all of democracy.

“What is at stake here is not only what Russia wants, but to be very clear – it’s what China wants,” Jaresko said. This is not about only Ukraine. What happens in a month when China takes over Taiwan? Will we sit and watch from the sidelines? ... This is a clear-cut message to the free world and allies. That is a threat. Now how do we react to threats? …That is something the U.S. and allies are going to have to determine very quickly.”

Jaresko said in 1994, the U.S. and European powers agreed that Ukraine would give up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for the promise that its allies would protect its territorial borders and sovereignty.

“All we want is peace,” Jaresko said of Ukraine. “We are not invading anyone’s land. We want to live and be democratic and give our people a good life. Where is the problem here?”