Russian military aggression challenged the very fact of Ukraine’s existence not only as a sovereign nation but as a distinct culture. This act of negation had an observably opposite effect on the community. This sudden transformation into war-time ambassadors of a besieged culture rippled through the community.   

The diaspora was suddenly united in a moment of national pride brought on by the bravery and resourcefulness of our fellow countrymen. Underneath this pride and no less effective a unifier was our shared sense of anguish and survivor guilt as we too became spectators of the atrocities unfolding halfway across the world.