‘Statement of solidarity’: KC’s Union Station lit blue and yellow in support of Ukraine
Kansas City’s Union Station was bathed in blue and yellow Thursday night in a show of solidarity with Ukraine, following Russia’s attack on the Eastern European country.
Union Station said it was a “statement of solidarity,” on social media. Several cities across the United States lit buildings the color of the Ukrainian flag, including the Empire State Building in New York City.
“With the compelling lessons of WWII and other eras of tragic conflict freshly in our mind, we are called to recognize and respond to hatred, intolerance and indifference both at home and around the world,” Union Station officials posted in a statement on social media. “Our thoughts and hopes are with the people of Ukraine ... those innocents who didn’t ask for conflict and destruction, but are nevertheless being devastated by it.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began Thursday, with forces conquering various Ukrainian territories, attacking from the north, east and south, and arriving by land, air and sea. News of the attack led to nearly unanimous condemnation of Russian President Vladamir Putin. It also prompted worldwide support for Ukraine.
Several cities across the country held demonstrations Thursday in shows of solidarity with Ukraine. A protest is scheduled Saturday at The Plaza in Kansas City.
Ukrainians in Kansas City watched in horror on Thursday as their home country became a war zone, prompting several to send panicked texts and phone calls to family and friends still living in the country.
Halayna Fedosyuk, who works at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, said she called her sister who lives in western Ukraine on Thursday and could hear ballistic missiles piercing the sky in the background.
“I just can’t imagine what they’re going through right now,” Fedosyuk told The Star. “People were going to travel and to spend holidays. Children were going to school. And then suddenly an unprovoked attack? It’s just unbelievable. I cannot even talk about it.”
