PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — A group of Seacoast residents have planned to gather in Market Square in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Sunday to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Anna Howard grew up in the Moscow suburb of Mytischy and moved to Massachusetts in 1992 to attend college. She now lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and was inspired to put together a rally after seeing the news reports about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"Instead of sitting here in a helpless rage, I just need to show up somewhere. I cannot be on my couch," Howard said.
She started reaching out to Ukrainian families she knows who live in the area to ask them if they would like to attend. They responded, and the group has grown week by week.
"I realized that they felt isolated and disconnected, and I was able to reach out and pull them out of that bubble," Howard said. "They realized that we support them, and they stared making signs, and the whole family showed up, and all of a sudden that rally became meaningful."
Howard asked the family for the names of their relatives still trapped in Ukraine who are trying to escape. They wrote their names on signs at the rally and shared pictures of those with the family members.
"All of a sudden it became more meaningful than just doing it for our own sanity. We were showing our support to somebody who is actually in danger," Howard said.
Ogunquit resident Charley LaFlamme also has been attending the gatherings each week. Sunday will mark the fourth week of the invasion and the fourth demonstration.
"Since we started these peaceful demonstrations against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and his unfair invasion of Ukraine that many of my co-protesters are around my age and remember the Vietnam War and the sit-ins, rallies, and peaceful gatherings in the late '60s and early '70s," LaFlamme wrote in a text message. "These exhibitions of our displeasure and concern for an unfair and unnecessary war eventually became successful and rallied more and more people behind our cause. I feel the same will happen with out current peaceful displays and pickets vs Putin and the invasion."
Howard said her cousin in Russia is seeking Armenian citizenship out of concern that sanctions and public opinion will cripple Russia's economy and blacklist civilians from traveling.
Howard said she has not been harassed for being Russian. What she has noticed is a divide among her friends and family, many of whom still live in Russia.
She said younger people who understand English watch the news and have access to social media can see different views on the war. Those who grew up in the former Soviet Union grew up with the understanding that Ukraine is part of Russia. She said 20 years of propaganda on state-run television has not helped correct the facts.
"At the beginning of the war I realized, 20 years of that change people," said Howard. "If they heard the same thing over and over again, they started believing it. And there are kernels of truth there, and that's why it's so powerful."
As for Sunday's demonstration Howard said she hopes more people will attend than ever before.
"I want to show as many Ukrainian people that we care that somebody cares about them and all we can do is kind of stand together."