A holiday some describe as hopeful and light, has been what Olena Kozlova-Pates called “a holiday of sorrow and pain.”
Kozlova-Pates is the executive director of Ukrainians in the Carolinas. Saturday, she and others gathered to celebrate the Easter holiday. While the celebration was filled joy, the ongoing war in their home country loomed over the celebrations.
Other WRAL Top Stories
The celebration comes as Russian president Vladimir Putin announced Saturday a one-day ceasefire for the Easter holiday.
"We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example. At the same time, our troops must be ready to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy," Putin said.
The ceasefire is expected to last from Sunday until Monday, though some don’t have faith in the ceasefire.
“Today, apparently, he said there is going to be cease-fire and almost immediately after that there was a hit on the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine,” Kozlova-Pates said. “So, I don’t believe in anything that Russia says.”
It’s been more than three years since Russia launched its invasion into Ukraine that killed tens of thousands of people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to X, calling the ceasefire 'another attempt by Putin to play with Human Lives.'
Following the tense exchange in the oval office between President Zelensky and President Trump, Kozlova-Pates hopes the US and Ukraine continue to remain allies. She said thousands of Ukrainians are living in North Carolina, but as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration, that has put some Ukrainian refugees at risk of being sent back to the war-torn country.
“ We are so grateful to our community here for hosting thousands of Ukrainian refugees,” Kozlova-Pates said. “There is a chance that their status will be I guess canceled, so we hope that doesn’t happen soon because the war has not ended. Russia continues to kill Ukrainians and occupying and destroy Ukraine.”
Although the war continues to rage and the future remains uncertain for Ukrainians, Kozlova-Pates said the Easter holiday is the reminder that good will prevail. She urges Carolinians to visit the Ukrainians in the Carolinas website to learn more about how to support Ukraine.