Feb 22

Feb 22 Existential Fight, Part I

Demonstrations, Donald Trump, Protest, Public Declarations, The Age of Trump, Signs and Posters

““Where there’s more pressure, there’s more resistance”
”

— Ivan Dzyuba, Internationalism or Russification," as quoted in Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary, Victoria Amelina (2025)

““With great power, comes great responsibility””

— From, Spiderman, Adrii Smolenskyi's Favorite Movie

[Note: I generally cover events as a neutral observer. When it comes to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, I am a partisan. There is only one legitimate position: Contrary to President Donald J. Trump’s belief, “Russia is a terrorist state.” This write up unabashedly reflects my bias]

Bottom of the Ninth, Down by One, Two Out, Batter Up. This week, Ukraine stepped into the proverbial batter's box. With the third anniversary of Russia's February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine looming, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tipped the Trump Administration's hand during his speech at the annual European Security Conference in Munich. Before Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s preliminary meetings in Saudi Arabia later in the week, Hegseth took two chips off the table. First, Russia can keep Crimea and contiguous territory that it seized in 2014. In keeping with Trump’s practice of faulting his predecessors for every problem he encounters, the Ukrainians should take the matter up with ‘that Kenyan’ if they want their mineral-rich lands back.

Second, Ukraine will forego NATO membership. Clearly, Hegseth had read the Art of the Deal given his willingness to take two of Ukraine's most valuable bargaining chips off the table even before preliminary negotiations had begun.

But as the week progressed, the news turned even darker. Ukraine and its European allies were not invited to Saudi Arabia for the preliminary negotiations between United States and Russia; Trump falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia; U.S. envoys refused to sign off on a preliminary statement prepared by their European counterparts for a Nuremberg-style tribunal that would prosecute well-documented Russian war crimes, including kidnapping well over 20,000 Ukrainian children; Trump labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a scam artist; and Trump demanded that Zelensky hold elections, something that is not feasible in war-torn Ukraine, with millions of Ukrainians taking refuge in other countries and others living in parts of the country now controlled by the Russians. In other words, Trump was parroting Russian talking points.

There was one bit of good news: Zelensky rejected a deal with the U.S. that would have seen the U.S. providing additional military aid in exchange for a 50% interest in Ukraine's mineral resources, oil and gas reserves, ports, and other infrastructure. The Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard reported that Trump's demands "amount to a higher share of Ukrainian gross domestic product than reparations imposed on Germany at the Versailles Treaty," a treaty that history has labeled punitive and as one of the root causes of World War II. Unfortunately, Zelensky chose further negotiations with Trump’s surrogates, hoping to drive Trump’s outrageous demands downward.

Against that backdrop, I was looking forward to covering the Saturday, February 23 demonstration outside the Wrigley Building. But on Wednesday, I had a brief text exchange with Pavlo Bandriwsky, Vice-President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America—Illinois Division, regarding the upcoming demonstration. After notifying me that a commemorative rally was scheduled for Saturday in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., I texted Bandriwsky that he had posed quite the quandary. “Should I stay in Chicago or head to D.C.?” Bandriwsky responded, "Washington might be more useful." Quandary resolved: I booked a flight and hotel room.

Preliminaries. I left Thursday morning, hoping to catch some Federal workers picketing or rallying on Friday. Hitting the pavement Friday morning, I doubted whether I would see anyone in front of Congress or picketing Federal workplaces because D.C. was experiencing a cold snap.

But given the upcoming anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked attack against Ukraine, I thought it only fitting to first visit the Victims of Communism Museum just around the corner from my hotel (the Hyatt Place on K Street). Nothing spectacular—except for the paintings by Ukrainian Gulag survivor Nikolai Getman (1917-2004)—but a solemn and congressionally authorized reminder of the terrors wrought by dictators and oligarchs. [Note of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (“UCCA”) leadership: You should speak with the museum’s curators about a special exhibition highlighting Russian war crimes in Ukraine]

Hoping there might be a press conference featuring Federal workers who Elon Musk had summarily fired despite collective bargaining agreements, I then headed to the Capitol. Nothing. After a brief stop in the Library of Congress before its collection is burned by conservatives and religious zealots, I looked for picketers outside the Federal buildings lining the National Mall. Once again, nothing.

In keeping with my earlier visit to the Victims of Communism Museum, I headed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which I last visited in May of 1993, shortly after it opened. Just seven blocks from the White House, the Museum is another stark reminder of what can happen when a dictator whips the masses into a frenzy and turns a country’s legislature into a rubber stamp for executive action. Subsequently, I learned that several others who attended Saturday’s commemoration had also visited the Holocaust Museum for similar reasons.

As I perused the exhibits, the many teenagers passing through the exhibition galleries caught my eye. Uncharacteristically, most were engrossed in the exhibits rather than the TikTok videos that normally keep them in a waking state of somnolence. In those young faces, many exuding shock and horror, I saw a glimmer of hope

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]

**Teams of Ukraine’s Supporters Are Scheduled to Descend on Congress for a Major Advocacy Push on Ukraine’s Behalf**

**One of Putin's Predecessors in Subjugation (from the Victims of Communism Museum)**

**Replica of the Goddess of Democracy Statue Erected in Tiananmen Square During the 1989 Student Protests (on display in the Victims of Communism Museum)**

**“We Want Justice” (U.S. Holocaust Museum)**

**The Nazis Are Not the Only Ones Who Tried to Eliminate a People's Identity (U.S. Holocaust Museum)**

**War Crimes Do Not Belong Exclusively to Bygone Eras as Recent Russian Atrocities in Urkraine Demonstrate (U.S. Holocaust Museum)**

**For the Russians, the Mass Graves in Bucha Proved to be a More Efficient Means for Disposing of Dead (U.S. Holocaust Museum)**

**"Lest You Forget the Things Your Eyes Saw" (U.S. Holocaust Museum)**

**"The Next Time You Hear About Genocide"**

**Will America Fulfill Its Longstanding Tradition of Fostering Freedom Around the World?**

"We Leave You Our Deaths, Give Them Meaning" (Archibald Macleish) on Not Repeating the Mistakes Recounted by Barbara Tuchman’s 1962 Book, *The Guns of August*

Saturday's Demonstration. I headed to the Lincoln Memorial at 12:30 PM. Thankfully, the temperature had climbed into the high 30s, with the winds subsiding. Walking along the Reflecting Pool, I saw the sound technicians setting up the sound system as early arrivals milled about, some heading up the steps for a peek at Abe Lincoln sitting in his marble chair. People were carrying Ukrainian sapphire (RGB 0, 91, 187) and cyber yellow (RGB 255, 213, 0) flags, banners, and signs. Others were wearing similarly colored dresses, shirts, and floral head bands and wreaths.

The organizers made one excellent decision. Often, the speakers face the Reflecting Pool, so the "money shot" includes the Greek-styled Lincoln Memorial, with planes on the low glide path into Ronald Reagan National Airport passing over the memorial. Currently under renovation, the memorial now offers a discordant backdrop when capturing images of the orators standing behind the podium. For this rally, the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument would serve as the backdrop. All I had to do was compose the shot so the tip of the monument did not read as a spike thrusting upward, through someone’s cranium.

By 1:30 PM, I was uneasy. The crowd was still thin, so I paid a visit to Lincoln, hoping his spirit would intervene. My hopes were realized. Heading back down the steps, I saw people streaming into the plaza areas surrounding the Reflecting Pool. A final crowd estimate is impossible, largely because the crowd was dispersed over a wide area. I’ve since seen references to several thousand people, but I would put the number somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000. Either way, the headcount was unimpressive given the existential threat that Ukraine faces thanks to Trump’s decision to side with Putin. I did not see dozens of buses, suggesting the crowd was comprised largely of locals.

The formal program began on time, following a now familiar format: (i) the singing of both the U.S. and Ukrainian National Anthems; (ii) the presentation of the colors by a honor guard comprised of veterans, (iii) a benediction by a smartly-clad priest, (iv) welcoming remarks-today from Michael Sawkiw, Jr., President of UCCA; (v) several passionate speeches, with one from the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, who ominoulsy noted the presence of cars bearing Russian diplomatic plates nearby; (vi) and a festive song by a Ukrainian singer. The speakers largely avoided direct references to Trump, which the organizers advised against on a Wednesday evening conference call.

For me, and I suspect many others, the highlight of the afternoon came when Andrii Smolenskyi, a Ukrainian war veteran, was helped to the podium by his wife, Alina, whose assistance was made necessary because Andrii was blinded and lost both his arms when a Russian mortar landed at his feet somewhere on the frontlines. The resulting explosion also cost him 70% of his hearing, resulted in severe facial injuries, and left him temporarily in a coma. Smolenskyi is in the United States undergoing additional treatment at Walter Reed Hospital. [Note: I have read several different accounts of how Smolensyi sustained his injuries, including this one]

Death and injury in war are somewhat random—being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those who are injured are not targeted because they have a particular skill set. The mortar that injured Smolenskyi managed to explode near a gifted orator. Speaking in English without any trace of a Ukrainian accent, Smolenskyi delivered a pitch perfect speech. Notably, he told those assembled at the Lincoln Memorial that his favorite movie is Spiderman, referencing the line, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” While he will never be able to rewatch the movie again, he has taken that line to heart. Despite his injuries, he now serves Ukraine as highly effective spokesperson. Following Smolenskyi’s speech, Archbishop Daniel Zelinsky presented him with an award for his service and valor.

For more about the journey that he and Alina are now on, check out an ABC News Report. Over the 90-minute program, those assembled also heard from Jovita Neliupšienė, Ambassador of the European Union; Mark Levin, National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry; and Pavlo Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress. Before the program concluded, the organizers lightened the mood a bit, as already noted, with a talented singer performing what sounded like a popular Ukrainian song.

The woman who would lead the march to the Russian Ambassador's residence—1125 16th Street, NW—then ordered everyone to fall into formation behind two banners. Shortly thereafter, the procession headed toward the Washington Monument, proceeding along the Reflecting Pool. The marchers then turned left onto 17th Street, heading north. They then turned eastward, walking one block, before making the final two-block approach to the residence, which is one block north of the Capital Hilton on 16th Street.

Standing next to the iron fencing outside the residence, I was struck by the demonstrators and their signage. People chanted "Russia is a Terrorist State," "Return the Children,’ and other familiar phrases, but the truly dramatic moment followed the initial chants.

As 750 people stood in the street, one woman took center stage. Walking up to the residence’s intercom system embedded into the massive iron fence, she pressed the “talk” button. As she held it down, she screamed into the intercom, “You will all burn in Hell” over and over, bringing to mind Tank Man, an unidentified protester who defied the Chinese authorities in 1989 by staring down a column of tanks that had entered the square.

Had I been her, I would have worn protective gloves because, in anticipation of the demonstration, the Russian Federal Security Services might have rigged the button with a Novichok-coated pin--their idea of Trick or Treat prank.

Surprisingly, the demonstration came to a rather abrupt end, with people dispersing in all directions. I followed several who were headed to the White House, but who were impeded by the riot fencing still bisecting Lafayette Park, an artifact of Trump’s inauguratoin that should have been remove long ago. Ten demonstrators spoke with the man who has maintained a "Free Speech" tent across from the White House for years—since forcibly relocated to the fencing’s outer perimeter. After the demonstrators departed, I headed to dinner at P.J. Clarke's for a roast chicken.

On tap for tomorrow, a reception at Ukraine House and a candlelight vigil in front of the Russian Embassy. On Monday and Tuesday, I will join the a team of Chicago Ukrainians as they walk the halls of Congress. For details, see Part II.