Fourth Anniversary Commemoration of the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

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courtesy Friends of Ukraine-Madison

Participants at the 2025 rally commemorating the anniversary of the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Participants at the 2025 rally commemorating the anniversary of the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

media release: Following a politically eventful, emotional, and deadly year of war, Madison’s Ukrainian community is preparing to mark the fourth anniversary since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Local nonprofit Friends of Ukraine - Madison Inc., is partnering with CREECA (the Center for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia), and the University of Wisconsin’s Ukrainian Student Club to bring the community together in shared grief and solidarity and to continue to raise awareness among Wisconsinites about the war and the war crimes Russia is committing. On Saturday, February 21, at 1:00pm, the organizations will lead a rally outside the Wisconsin State Capitol Building, and encourage everyone who stands for peace to attend.

As the full-scale war creeps into its fifth year - the 12th since Russia invaded Crimea and the Donbas regions - the rally will celebrate the resilience of Ukrainians. In the last year, their military heroically fought for their homeland to mostly maintain 2024 front lines. Russia’s attacks on civilians increased in 2025: there were only four days without aerial attacks, and Russia knocked out Ukraine’s infrastructure so the majority of the country has no heat or electricity during the coldest winter in recent years. 

“For four long years of war, Ukrainians have shown unwavering courage and pride, not backing down when Russia tries to take away our country and identity or break our spirit,” says Ruslana Westerlund, president of Friends of Ukraine - Madison Inc. “But it bolsters the spirit of Ukrainians to see Americans standing alongside us. Knowing we’re not alone in our fight for freedom helps keep us going.”

The rally will also celebrate the passage of Joint Resolution 110, which made Wisconsin the first state to unanimously pass a resolution condemning the abduction and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation. There are more than 36,000 documented cases of abduction, and hundreds of thousands more are suspected, with the children subject to militarization, torture, brainwashing, and having their identity, language, and culture stripped from them. The resolution and the rally are intended to continue spreading word about the child abduction - a war crime according to the Geneva Convention - and to add pressure on Russia to force the return of the children.

Included in the rally on February 21 will be speeches by University of Wisconsin staff, local clergy, and members of the Ukrainian community. The public is invited to attend. Following the rally, at 2:00pm, CREECA and Friends of Ukraine - Madison will host a warming fellowship gathering at the Guild Hall of Grace Episcopal Church, 116 W Washington Ave.

For more information, please visit www.friendsofukrainemadison.org.