On Feb. 24, the Dartmouth Student Alliance for Ukraine hosted a vigil on the Collis Center for Student Involvement porch to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Approximately 70 students, faculty and community members attended the vigil, which included the singing of Ukrainian songs along with speeches from five Dartmouth students and two professors.
DSAU has hosted a vigil every year since the beginning of the war.
The vigil opened with a speech from DSAU’s president, Oleksandra Gol’dina ’29. Gol’dina reflected on the longer history of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started in 2014 with the occupation of the Crimean peninsula and turned into a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
“For me, the war started not four years ago, as we say today, but 12 years ago, with Russia’s occupation of Crimea, my homeland,” she said. “ … Back then, my parents made the choice to start their lives anew without knowing where they were heading.”
She added that in 2022, “many more were forced to make the same choice” as her parents and flee the country. For her parents and many others, Russian occupation “would mean having no freedom,” she said.
In the speech, Gol’dina said the vigil’s core purpose was to honor the Ukrainians who have died during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
“This moment is about every life that has been lost in the last four years and in the last 12 years in Ukraine,” she said. “ ... We’re here because we have the voices to speak up for them, for everyone who did not get the choice to speak up for themselves.”
After a moment of silence spent listening to the Ukrainian requiem folk song “Plyve Kacha Po Tysyni,” five other speakers discussed their experiences with the Russo-Ukrainian War.
In his speech, DSAU member Oleh Pavchak ’29 discussed the experiences of his great-grandmother, who died in 2023 “after witnessing the death of her grandson,” and stressed his desire for the war to end.
“My great grandma — despite being 92 years old, and despite going through all of the things that she experienced in her life — still managed to see one more war,” he said.
Ukrainian visiting professor Lada Kolomiyets read excerpts by Ukrainian writers Victoria Amelina, Serhiy Zhadan and Halyna Kruk that emphasized the resilience of the Ukrainian people. She noted the emotional toll the war has taken on Ukrainians.
“Like so many of us, I was born again on Feb. 24,” she said. “... In the beginning, we cried until we thought we would run dry. But after four years, the tears have turned to stone … we don’t just mourn anymore, we endure.”
Jan Zuk ’29, an international student from Warsaw, Poland, urged solidarity with Ukraine from non-Ukrainian communities in his speech.
“I want to remind everyone that even though sometimes it may seem as if the full-scale invasion is far away from us … it is closer to all of us than before,” he said. “ … We must remain engaged, speak up and support the Ukrainian people in every way that we can.”
Former DSAU president Kyrylo Fomin ’26 emphasized the need for those in the Dartmouth community and beyond to help Ukrainians.
“We can often lose sight of our own agency, on what we can do to help,” Fomin said. “This could all be in the form of contacting your representatives … [or] a donation.”
The vigil ended with the playing of the Ukrainian national anthem and a candle lighting ceremony.
Coulson Lloyd-Clare ’29 said that he attended the vigil to show support for his Ukrainian friends at Dartmouth.
“Since starting at Dartmouth, I’ve made some significant connections to Ukrainians, and I have found that they are all extremely kind and understanding people,” Loyd-Clare said. “I’m here for them.”
Sophia Baran, who lives in Hanover, said that she attended the event because she has family in Ukraine and has felt frustrated over the war’s duration.
“It kind of feels numb just because [the war] has been going on for so long,” she said. “... But it’s important to come out and come together.”
