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Hundreds Gather In Santa Monica To Support Ukraine, Demand U.S. No-Fly Zone

Hundreds gathered in Santa Monica on Saturday to make their voices heard in support of Ukraine.
The demonstration, which began at 1 p.m. on the Third Street Promenade, was packed with local Ukrainian-Americans and other supporters from all over L.A.
The march and rally was organized by Stand with Ukraine L.A. The group wants the U.S. military to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine and increase their efforts to isolate Russia.

Stand with Ukraine LA’s Facebook page for the event also listed an aimed ask to “Immediately provide military aid to Ukraine, especially the air defense systems and the heavy weaponry, as well as financial and humanitarian aid,” as one of the motivations behind the march.

Oleksandr Strukov is one of the organizers behind the event. He voiced concern about his loved ones in Ukraine when he spoke to LAist.
“The community and this protest gives me the possibility to help somehow Ukraine and help my friends and family in Ukraine,” Strukov said. “Even though I'm not helping them directly.”
Strukov estimated 600 to 700 hundred people attended the event, maybe even up to a thousand.
Mykhailo Lavrys, another one of the event's organizers, said that Angelenos are acutely aware of the injustices ongoing in Ukraine.

“The whole city sees what’s happening,” Lavrys said after the event. “[It] sees Russia for what it is and supports Ukraine and its fight for democracy. We always want to make it clear that Ukraine…it’s not just fighting for its freedom, for its independence. It’s also fighting for the peace of the whole world. Because if Ukraine falls, which we know it won’t, it would give a signal to other countries across the world that if you are a powerful country, you can just invade a smaller country and get away with it.”

Strukov said that the full rally lasted at least three hours, with some demonstrators staying around the area until 5 or 6 p.m.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misattributed the story's second quote to Oleksandr Strukov, not Mykhailo Lavrys. We regret this error.
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