Syracuse-area Ukrainians share their stories: Reflecting on One Year of War

Series preview:

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.

Members of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse demonstrate their solidarity with Ukraine and against the war. Earlier, the congregation held a vigil for peace. Mike Greenlar | Central Current.

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.

Members of the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse attend a prayer vigil for peace, Sunday February 27, 2022. Mike Greenlar | The Central Current
A man stands with an Ukrainian flag as members of the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse attend a prayer vigil for peace, Sunday February 27, 2022. Mike Greenlar | The Central Current
Members of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse demonstrate their solidarity with Ukraine and against the war., February 27, 2022. Mike Greenlar | The Central Current.
Clergy and members of the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse attend a prayer vigil for peace, Sunday February 27, 2022. Mike Greenlar | The Central Current
Two women exchange a vinok, a traditional head wreath of flowers and ribbons as members of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse demonstrate their solidarity with Ukraine and against the war. Earlier, the congregation held a peace vigil for peace. Mike Greenlar | The Central Current.

Members of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse stand around the Ukrainian flag after demonstrating against the war, February 27, 2022. Mike Greenlar | The Central Current.

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.