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Central Current hopes to offer a space to document and elevate the many Ukrainian voices of our local community. If you or someone you know would like to be part of the series, email Sarah Dolgin at newsroom@centralcurrent.org.
Feb. 24 marks a year since Russia waged war on Ukraine.

In Central New York, the Ukrainian community sprang into action as air strikes and casualties bombarded TV screens and populated phone notifications.
Those with family members in the Ukraine began making arrangements to try and get their loved ones to safety.
A sea of blue and yellow flags, makeshift signs denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin and flower crowns adorned local centers of Ukrainian community and life here, particularly at St. John the Baptist, a Ukrainian Catholic Church on Tipperary Hill. A few days after the first attacks on the homeland, the church held a vigil to mourn.
Central Current was there last year to cover the local outpouring of grief and support. Freelance religion writer Renée Gadoua and Central Current contributing photographer Michael Greenlar captured the solemn congregation, in one of the very first stories published on centralcurrent.org.

This year, one year later, Central Current is publishing a series sharing the diverse experiences of local Ukrainians. “Reflecting on One Year of War,” beginning Monday, will share vignettes of people with ties to Ukraine and the Syracuse area as they navigate the grueling complexities of war.
The series will explore how, starting last year, fundraising campaigns, donations and drives proliferated social media platforms, encouraging people to give what they could. Efforts were coordinated and continue to bring aid to those whose homes were destroyed and those living with busted power lines and dwindling resources.
For one member of the Syracuse community, news of the war awoke the urge to put life in America on hold and join Ukrainians on the front lines.
Ukrainian-American students having to attend classes in Syracuse felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness as they grieved the Ukrainian lives lost and wished they could do more to help.
CNY families, both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian, opened their homes to distant relatives — among the nearly 9 million people who’ve fled the country in the last year — and some opened their homes to refugees to whom they had no personal connection.
Central Current hopes to offer a space to document and elevate the many Ukrainian voices of our local community. If you or someone you know would like to be part of the series, email Sarah Dolgin at newsroom@centralcurrent.org.
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Reflecting on One Year of War: a Syracuse resident’s journey through Ukraine
Feb. 24 marked a year since Russia declared war on Ukraine. For ten months, Oleg Grabovyy left his home in Syracuse to help defend his native country. He spent time interpreting, training brigades of soldiers and delivering humanitarian aid.
Syracuse-area Ukrainians share their stories: Reflecting on One Year of War
Central Current was there last year to cover the local outpouring of grief and support when Russia waged war on Ukraine in Feb. 2022.
Syracuse Ukrainian Church community mourns Russian attack on homeland
An overflow crowd gathered at the 207 Tompkins St. church in Syracuse to pray for Ukraine as Russia invaded the country.
Ukrainian students in Syracuse torn between homeland war, school
Central Current interviewed students with connections to Syracuse and Ukraine to better understand how members of the local college community have been impacted by the war in Ukraine.
Family leaves Ukraine, navigates life in Central New York
In August 2022, the Makarevych family left their home in Mukachevo, Ukraine, to seek refuge in Central New York’s Ukrainian community.
Auburn resident and Ukrainian refugee form bond despite language barrier
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Hanna Rusnak left her home country to live in Auburn, New York with Marion Cool.
Auburn couple opens home to Ukrainian refugee
Olena Abramova left her home in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, to seek refuge in America with a couple located in Auburn, New York.
Reflecting on One Year of War: Syracuse Ukrainian church congregants mourn, pray for peace
One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the local Ukrainian community gathered in Syracuse to mourn, remember lives lost and pray for peace.