FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Feb. 13, 2024
Salomon to Introduce Resolution to Recognize and Support Ukrainian Americans on the Two-Year Anniversary of the Invasion of Ukraine
OLYMPIA –Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) will introduce a resolution on Tuesday supporting Ukrainians on the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, began a campaign of terror and destruction which upended the lives of Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans.
“Civilians are being murdered in their homes, at the grocery store, on the street, while simply trying to live peacefully,” Salomon said. “Our state has one of the largest populations of Ukrainian immigrants in the country. Washington state has shown immense compassion, welcoming refugees and providing fundamental human needs such as food, housing, and mental health care to help them cope with the horrors they’ve endured.”
Washington state is home to more than 60,000 Ukrainian Americans and has welcomed over 16,000 Ukrainian refugees since the war began.
“Thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war have arrived in Washington seeking safety for their children and hoping to build a better life for themselves,” said Galina Volchkova, Executive Director of Housing Services at the Volunteers of America Western Washington. “Since May 2021, over eight hundred households in our Refugee Resettlement and Stabilization program are employed and self-sufficient. They are succeeding because of their resilience and because we offered timely access to resources, rental assistance, and job opportunities.”
“Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans in Washington have enriched our communities through their resilience, leadership, and culture,” Salomon said. “The United States’ support for Ukraine has helped the country to withstand Russia’s assault abroad, and our support for Ukrainian refugees has helped them bear the immense physical and psychological toll of this war. I urge all of us here today to show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine who are fighting to preserve their peace, freedom, and democracy just as our great nation has done before.”
