KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Russian and Ukrainian speakers in East Tennessee gathered for a protest in multiple languages on Market Square Sunday.
Olena Demianyk is Ukrainian and said her mom lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in the East, near the Russian border.
"There is war going on, you can't be silent right now," said Demianyk.
Demianyk said her mom's neighborhood saw fighting. Russian tanks came through and fired shots in the neighborhood. She said her mom has dead bodies in her backyard.
She shared a picture of a school on fire in Kharkiv.
Nina Drel was born in Russia and lived there for years. She held up a sign at the protest today that said 'We're Russians, we're ashamed, we don't support it.'
"We're the same people, we're like sisters," said Drel. "It's not supposed to be there. It's really said."
"It's been just the hardest time in our life," said Iryna Hatfield, the event organizer.
"We cannot sleep," said Hatfield. "We waited until the sunrise in Ukraine to check on our families, to check on our friends."
Demianyk said she tried to send money to her mom to help, but her mom said she didn't need it.
"My mom says she doesn't need money right now," Demianyk said. "The stores are closed, there is no food."
Instead, Demianyk said she donated to the National Bank of Ukraine. The Central Bank said they take donations to support armed forces.
A smaller gathering began at market square on Sunday afternoon. Ukraine supporters held up signs for cars driving by and honking their horns.