Ambassador: Ukraine fights to be 'independent and Democratic'

Under the heavy shadow of a potential war with neighboring Russia, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States spent Sunday morning at a Bloomingdale church remembering the lives lost in previous campaigns for her homeland's independence.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova laid wreaths outside the St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral at both the Ukrainian Genocide Memorial and the Heaven's Brigade Heroes Monument that recognizes those "who gave their lives for a free and independent Ukraine," church officials said.

"We want to be independent and Democratic, that is what we're fighting for," Markarova said after the ceremony. "I think it's evident to everyone now what threat we are facing."

Markarova, who has been ambassador for less than a year following a five-year stint in the country's finance ministry, spoke for nearly 15 minutes after a morning service inside the church to about 150 parishioners who all stood quietly holding lit candles.

Following the service, Markarova visited each monument site with leaders from the church. Afterward, she spoke about the interventions U.S. officials are attempting to stave off a potential war that has been brewing since Russian forces invaded and occupied the Crimean peninsula in 2014.

"We are very appreciative of the help the U.S. has given us both in political messaging and economic sanctions, which we are asking become more proactive and focused," she said.

She expressed gratitude to both "the U.S. and other strategic partners," but she noted "we need more" to ensure Russia does not attack.

"We need to focus on three layers of deterrents," Markarova said. "Political deterrents with all the strong messages, economic deterrents with all the sanctions and tightening those until Russia changes, but also the military deterrents, helping us to build our defense capabilities so we can defend ourselves."

John Jaresko, St. Andrews' parish president, said some parishioners who are American military veterans have been assisting in preparations for troops to be deployed to Ukraine and sending supplies to hospitals there.

"This is not a question of simply defending Ukraine, this is about preventing Russian aggression," he said. "If we allow that to continue, we have a much bigger problem."

Markarova's visit comes a day after the 104th anniversary of when Ukraine declared independence from Russia amid the Russian Revolution that ultimately brought the Soviet Union to power. It would be short-lived and Ukraine would become a part of the Soviet Union in 1922.

In the 1932, the Soviet regime under Josef Stalin instituted a genocidal famine called Holodomor for much of the grain-producing parts of the Soviet Union, which included most of Ukraine. The yearlong terror killed an estimated 10 million people, according to a United Nations statement in 2003.

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has been recognized as an independent nation since 1991.

Many parishioners at St. Andrew were pleased by the ambassador's visit and what it means during this time of uncertainty for their native land.

"Her coming here gives us stature and exposure, but it also spotlights the greater need for further cooperation across the world because Ukraine is trying to save freedom not only for Ukraine, but for Europe," said Nicholas Kotcherka of Buffalo Grove.