PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsreadio) — For Russia, May 9 is a holiday similar to the United States’ Fourth of July. A worldwide initiative to change the focus of that day came to Philly this week, with a message to remind people that the Russian war in Ukraine is still very much active.
"We knew that it would be used to justify this war — this invasion of Ukraine by Russia — and so, the goal is to kind of rebrand it, essentially, as a day of shame for Russia,” said Roman Strakovsky, a Mount Airy man originally from Ukraine. He helps organize demonstrations and events in support of his home country.
It's been about two and a half months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine became a full-fledged war. He says, right now, Ukraine needs more of the weapon and military assistance he hopes will help his country win it.
"You know, it's a war of genocide," Strakovsky said. "They're really trying to erase Ukraine as a nation from the map — erase the people, erase the sovereignty, and erase the culture."
For Russia, Monday, May 9, marked the anniversary of Soviet nations achieving victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
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"A whole generation of men in my family — all my great grandparents — died in that war, defending their homeland,” he said. “And now it's just a horrific act of betrayal, and we wanted to highlight that."
Across the globe, Strakovsky says, an initiative started by the Ukrainian World Congress is pushing a view of May 9 as "Russian Shame Day."
He told KYW Newsradio he still has family in Ukraine, including his grandmother's sister, who he said is homebound. She has stayed in her third-floor apartment, completely exposed to Russian bombs, but she has so far stayed safe, he said.
So, Strakovsky says, he is keeping tabs from afar on the war as it continues half a world away. Meanwhile, rallies, benefits and fundraisers continue on in Philly.
"We don't want people to forget about Ukraine. We want them to stand with us,” he said.
Learn more about support and relief efforts in the "Philly Stands with Ukraine" Facebook group, where events are posted.