Detroit, MI
Ukrainian Americans in Detroit rally against Russia’s war, call for freedom
Oksana Zavadenko moved to the United States seven years before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But Russia was still the reason she moved.
Zavadenko stayed in Ukraine for a year after Russia invaded and annexed Crimea. It was her fourth year in the country after moving back from the U.S. in 2011 to be with her family.
She and her children supported the soldiers in their defense of the country, but eventually, she decided it was best to return to the U.S.
“Because of that war, there was no safe life for my kids and their future,” said Zavadenko.
Now a resident of Sterling Heights, Zavadenko watched in February 2022 as Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Her parents live in Ternopil, where Russia bombed two residential buildings in November.
“People say, ‘War is still going on?’ Yes, it is. And there is no safe part. It’s like Russian roulette – you don’t know who’s going to be next, and when,” Zavadenko said.
Zavadenko was one of a few hundred people who on Sunday afternoon came to Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit to protest Russia’s continued occupation of Ukraine. The demonstrators waved Ukrainian flags, gave speeches and listened to Ukrainian music.
The rally was held two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country, which Russian President Vladimir Putin justified on a claim that a “neo-Nazi regime” in Ukraine needed to be combatted.
The war has displaced roughly 9 million people who have fled to western Ukraine or out of the country entirely. A study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies published in January estimated combined casualties from the war could reach 2 million by springtime.
“It was so difficult and so dangerous in our country,” said Yevheniia Romanenko, who lived in the city of Lviv until 2024 and now lives in Troy as a refugee. Romanenko said she didn’t have water in her apartment before she came to the U.S.
World leaders this past week met in Geneva for peace talks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said were insufficient for the interests of his country. Zelenskyy posted on X that Russia was making negotiations longer than they needed to be.
A White House spokesperson said “meaningful progress” was made at the talks, although President Donald Trump has consistently pressured Ukrainian leaders to agree to a peace deal that could mean conceding to Russian demands for land in the eastern part of the country.
Zavadenko said this is unacceptable. She believes Russia won’t stop there, pointing to the invasion after they seized Crimea.
“It’s not about the land or the mines and resources in that area. It’s about the people. They will not have a chance for a democratic life,” she said.
The Trump administration has criticized past support for Ukraine, arguing it costs taxpayers disproportionate amounts of money.
Michigan has the ninth-largest Ukrainian-American population in the United States, according to recent Census Bureau numbers. And on Sunday, immigrants and descendants from the country spoke well of the U.S.’s support for the country’s war efforts.
“So often, you speak about freedom. We now want this freedom,” Myroslav Dymuch, a priest at St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, told the crowd at the rally.
“We are fighting for this freedom, and the example of this freedom. Thank you, our brother and sister Americans, for supporting. Together, we are fighting, and we will win, and peace will be in Ukraine,” Dymuch said.
Michael Sawicky, an attorney born to Ukrainian parents, wore a U.S. flag draped on his shoulders to the rally. He said it’s important to support Ukraine as a U.S. citizen because they’re fighting for “the basic principles that our country was founded on.”
“If we really want to stand for principles of democracy, then I think it’s important for the United States to support like-minded countries,” said Sawicky.
The rally was held as the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown throughout the country. The administration recently instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to detain lawful refugees if they haven’t retained permanent residency a year after their admission to the U.S.
Ksenia Cozak, whose parents came to the U.S. when they were children during World War II, said the ICE crackdown was responsible for a smaller crowd at the rally than in 2025. She estimated about double attendance last year.
Multiple rally attendees also declined to speak to The Detroit News out of fear of ICE.
“Most of these people are here because of official U.S. programs. They followed the rules, they submitted all the paperwork, and they are here legally. And so I want to make sure that those people are not afraid to stay in the U.S., that they’re not afraid to go about their lives. But unfortunately, the actions of ICE are such that I cannot tell them, ‘Don’t be afraid,’” said Cozak. “I would be afraid if I was in their position, even if I were here legally.”
But those who did come to the rally said Ukraine needs to continue the fight for its freedom.
“If we would stop the fight, we will not exist anymore,” said Zavadenko. “Russia has to be the one who is forced to stop the war, because they are the ones who started it, who are continuing it.”
“I want this war to be not just stopped. I want to win this war, and it never happen again,” said Romanenko.
mbryan@detroitnews.com
Reuters contributed to this report.
Every seat in the Michigan Senate is up for election this year, and eight of those districts are in Wayne County.
In the 4th, 5th and 8th Districts, only one Republican and one Democrat filed for election, meaning those candidates will automatically be nominated and move on to the November ballot. Here are The Detroit News endorsements in the five contested Senate primaries in Wayne County:
1st District (Southwest Detroit and parts of Downriver, including Taylor, Melvindale and Lincoln Park): Two Detroit Democrats are competing for this seat: Abraham Aiyash and Justin Onwenu.
Aiyash is a former state representative who is hoping to return to the Legislature after a two-year absence. He is a progressive whose policy positions align with Democratic socialists.
Onwenu is an attorney who served the Mike Duggan administration as Detroit’s first Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity, helping small businesses get a start in the city. Before attending Columbia Law School, where he was president of the student body from 2023 to 2024, Onwenu worked to combat air and water pollution in Detroit, Ecorse and River Rouge.
In the Senate, he promises to be a supporter of legislation to strengthen neighborhoods by lowering property taxes and investing in infrastructure.
He also supports stronger transparency and ethics rules for lawmakers. Justin Onwenu gets our endorsement in the 1st District Democratic primary.
Patrick O’Connell of Ecorse is unopposed in the Republican primary.
2nd District (Northwest Detroit, Dearborn Heights and part of Dearborn): The district is currently represented by Sylvia Santana, who made an unsuccessful bid to be nominated for the Michigan State University board.
The Democratic primary features two Dearborn residents who are hoping to replace Santana: Erin Byrnes and Abbas Alawieh.
Alawieh describes himself as a political strategist, community organizer and pro-peace advocate. He is supported by the Michigan Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus and aligns with many of its anti-growth positions.
Byrnes is currently a state representative in her second term. Like her opponent, she is well to the left of center on the political spectrum. In the Legislature, she has pushed for utility rate controls.
The two Democrats are similarly positioned. Our choice in the 2nd District is Erin Byrnes, based on her legislative experience.
Harry Sawicki of Dearborn Heights is unopposed in the Republican primary.
3rd District (Detroit, Warren and Madison Heights): The contest to replace incumbent Stephanie Chang has drawn a long list of candidates. The 3rd District starts near Downtown Detroit and stretches north through the center of the city into southern Oakland and Macomb counties.
Eleven Democrats, all from Detroit, are competing in the primary. They are: Mohammad Alam, a Bangladeshi immigrant and Army veteran; LeJuan Council, a property manager and small business owner; John Conyers III, son of the late congressman; LaTanya Garrett, a former state representative; Korey Hall, a former director of community affairs in the Whitmer administration; Adam Hollier, a former state senator; Gary Hunter, a former candidate for Detroit City Council; Kimberly Hill-Knott, former head of the Detroit Climate Action Collaborative; Toinu Reeves, an economist, Abraham Shaw, who owns an auto repair shop, and Eboni Taylor, a community advocate.
There are several interesting and impressive candidates in this race, including Conyers, who just wrote about his father. Garrett has legislative experience, as does Hollier, whom we’ve endorsed in his previous runs for public office.
But we are most impressed with Reeves, a newcomer to politics who brings top-notch credentials to the race. Reeves grew up on Detroit’s east side and is an economist who attended Wayne State University and Dartmouth College.
He serves as chair of the Economic Development Workgroup for Detroit’s District 4 Community Advisory Committee and on the Jefferson-Chalmers Community District Council. He is a former school teacher and autoworker.
Toinu Reeves offers fresh ideas and much-needed skills, and gets our endorsement in the 3rd District Democratic Primary.
Mark Ashley Price is unopposed in the Republican primary.
6th District (Redford Township, Farmington and Farmington Hills): Incumbent Mary Cavanaugh is defending her seat from a challenge from fellow Democrat Stephen Jensen, who shows no signs of a campaign. Both are from Redford.
Mary Cavanaugh, granddaughter of the late Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh, has served her district well and should be renominated for a second term.
Joi Pokerwinski of Redford Township is unopposed in the Republican Party.
12th District (Parts of Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair counties, including Algonac, the Grosse Pointes, St. Clair Shores, Harper Woods, Mount Clemens and New Baltimore): Incumbent Sen. Kevin Hertel of St. Clair Shores is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Five Republicans are competing in their primary to face him in November.
They are: Joseph Backus of St. Clair Shores, a prolific community volunteer who has run unsuccessfully for other offices; Patrick Biange of St. Clair Shores; John Goldwater of New Baltimore, an oil and gas entrepreneur; Eileen Tesch, the former mayor of Algonac who faced recall efforts, and Shelley Wright, a former general contractor and owner of a process serving company who says Donald Trump inspired her to politics.
John Goldwater has experience growing a business and creating jobs. He would also prioritize improving skilled trades training. The father of six is a conservative who describes himself as pro-life and a defender of the Second Amendment.
Our endorsement in the 12th District Republican primary goes to John Goldwater.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A 16-year-old moped driver was hospitalized after a crash on Detroit’s west side on Wednesday night.
The backstory:
Detroit police say the teen disregarded a stop sign while going east on Vassar when he collided with a vehicle turning south on Outer Drive at about 9:30 p.m.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
The boy was taken to a nearby hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The driver of the car, a woman in her 30s, was not injured.
The Source: Information for this report is from Detroit police.
Watch FOX 2 Detroit Live:
Chickens and geese that went missing from a local nonprofit’s Detroit site were found in the backyard of a nearby home, the director of operations said Wednesday.
The Full Circle Foundation, a Grosse Point Park-based nonprofit, said more than a dozen chickens and geese were believed stolen from a chicken coop on Detroit’s east side that also features the Full Circle Edible Garden.
The nonprofit provides training and job opportunities for young people with special needs.
Neighbors who learned from news reports about the missing flock found the “chickens were being held in the backyard of a vacant home not far from the Full Circle Edible Garden,” said Stephanie DiVirgil, director of operations. She said Ribbon Farm 4-H owns the flock.
“The homeowner was contacted, and she reached out to Full Circle to confirm,” said DiVirgil. “We were able to retrieve all of the chickens and geese that were found on the property, 19 in total.”
The foundation and Ribbon Farms 4-H are working to secure the site, including cameras, fencing and lights.
“We will likely start a fundraising campaign to have these items installed,” DiVirgil said. “We’ve gotten amazing support from the community, including offers to help pay for these additional security measures.”
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