HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – As the Russian military brought war to Ukraine, there was a peaceful protest on Thursday in Broward County.
Through tears, Oksana Rozmovna said it pained her to see pictures and videos from her homeland after Russia’s airstrikes. The Ukrainian-American wasn’t alone outside of City Hall in Hallandale Beach.
There were hundreds of demonstrators. A woman held up a sign that read, “I am Russian, but I am ashamed of my country.” Another woman’s sign nearby read, “I am Russian. I stand with Ukraine!”
“Putin is killing my country. Putin is killing my people,” Rozmovna said. “I am very, very upset.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported “subversive groups” were in Kyiv. There was overnight fighting against the Russian military northwest of Kyiv from the north.
Zelensky’s administration reported there were more than 100 Ukrainians dead and more than 300 injured. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced the Russians had control of the defunct Chernobyl plant.
“Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself and won’t give up its freedom,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
Zelensky asked the international community for help as Russian President Vladimir Putin targeted Ukraine’s democratically elected government.
“Americans stand up to bullies,” President Joe Biden said while announcing new U.S. sanctions against Russia.
Biden said Putin has a “desire for empire by any means necessary” and wants to change borders by force “by choosing a war without a cause.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announced sanctions and said Putin was “a bloodstained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest.”
Biden deployed more troops to Ukraine’s neighboring countries. There were no indications NATO was sending troops into Ukraine. Biden and Johnson were set to meet with NATO leaders on Friday.
Zelensky wants Russia banned from the SWIFT system, a worldwide network of banks.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of air bases and military buildings in Ukraine and the death of a Russian crew after a plane crashed in Ukraine.
As explosions rocked Kyiv, civilians hid underground in subway stations. In Hallandale Beach, Rozmovna feared the capital city could soon fall. She had one request: “Pray for Ukraine! Please, pray for us.”
Coverage on Ukraine-Russia conflict
Coverage South Florida’s reaction
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Kennedy reported from Washington. Stanwood and Checkol reported from Pembroke Park. Torres reported from Miami. The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report from Kyiv and Moscow.