Ann Salemme sings the Ukrainian National Anthem on the Green on Friday. “God, I’m tired of war,” Ann Salemme said at a flag raising on the Green on Friday to mark 35 years of Ukrainian independence. The Russia-Ukraine war — which began with Russia’s military invasion of the E astern European nation on Feb. 24, 2022 — has “now lasted longer than World War I,” Salemme said. “We must not waver, even if we are tired. We must continue to stand with Ukraine. Victory is our only choice.” Salemme is the president of the New Haven branch of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America. On Friday, she joined two dozen fellow Ukrainian Americans and supporters for a flag raising on the Green to commemorate the nation’s post-Soviet independence on Aug. 24, 1991. Mayor Justin Elicker also provided the group with an official city proclamation recognizing Ukrainian Independence Day and declaring New Haven’s support for the local Ukrainian community these four-and-a-half years after Russia’s invasion. According to Elicker, 17,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and another 51,000 Ukrainian civilians have been injured — in addition to the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers who have been killed or wounded over the course of the conflict. He also said that July was the war’s deadliest month since 2022. “We’re tired of this war,” said long-time local Ukrainian community advocate Myron Melnyk, “but not as tired as those people that are experiencing it day to day. We must continue, as a Ukrainian American community, to support Ukraine. “We must speak the truth about this war. That Russia is the aggressor. That Russia targets and kills civilians every day. That Russia is seeking to destroy Ukrainian culture and Ukrainian identity.” Salemme, one of the lead organizers of Ukrainian flag raisings on the Green in recent years, directed attendees attention to Russia’s attacks on civilians and Ukrainian culture more broadly. She referenced a recent attack that set fire to one of Kiev’s largest book markets. And another that caused serious damage to a film studio in Kyiv, “an attempt to wipe out the cultural legacy of the Ukrainian people.” And another in which a “human safari” drone attack targeted a Ukrainian vegetable seller. Salemme also urged attendees to call members of Congress — including U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who is currently on an official tour of Ukraine — to urge them to approve the Lindsay O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, which recently passed the U.S. Senate. “Ukrainians are resilient and resourceful,” she said, “and given the opportunity, Ukraine and her cities will rise again” like a phoenix from the ashes. Melnyk agreed. “Most of all, we should be certain that, in the end, Ukraine will prevail,” he said. “It will endure. It will prevail.” Click on the videos above and below to watch more from Friday’s event, including an interview with Melnyk in which he talks about local relief efforts to help Ukraine, many of which are based out of St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church on George Street. The post “In The End, Ukraine Will Prevail” appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less