Roman Trofymenko's phone went off in notifications on Wednesday night.
His friends in Ukraine were posting on social media about loud booms they heard in the distance, missiles and bombs being launched at airports and military bases across the country. It was a few minutes after 5 a.m. Thursday. Russia was starting its invasion.
Within 24 hours, Trofymenko and his wife, who did not want to give her last name, were at an anti-war protest in front of San Francisco City Hall. The demonstrators waved blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags. The homemade sign read "Drink shit, Putin" in Russian.
She said of her sign that it was very aggressive, but Trofymenko said it was not as aggressive as shelling civilian buildings.
The protesters wanted to send military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. For many Ukrainian Americans who attended, it was a chance to share their fear and despair with others who were also worried for their loved ones stuck in the seiged cities.
Olena Polovynkina, who has family in Kyiv, told Insider that she has taken lots of anti-anxiety medication to stay sane. She drove two hours with her mother, husband, and twin babies to attend the protest. Really angry. Really powerless. There is a spectrum of emotions. It is terrible to watch people die.
A group of Ukrainian Americans gathered in Los Angeles for a prayer at the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church. They prayed and sang. Ukrainians faced a second night of Russian bombardment during the Thursday evening service.
Ihor Koshyk told his congregation that he was in a state of shock for a couple of hours.
He said that gathering together helps us to deal with our anxiety.
When they heard the first reports of bombing in Ukraine, Polovynkina and her mother were shaking uncontrollably.
Polovynkina was hoping it was a joke. I have never experienced it in my life. We were both cold and scared.
They were trying to track Russia's movements in their home country.
We can not put our computers down. It is horrible. She said that your heart is breaking.
Polovynkina needed anti-anxiety medication to sleep.
A demonstrator named Sergey, who only gave his first name, told Insider that his family and friends in Ukraine are being advised to cover their windows in duct tape, so that shattered glass won't fall into the house.
The idea that they are waiting for bombs and that I am not there makes me feel guilty. She wouldn't give her full name.
The biggest fear is that my people will die. If we win, what will be left? There are ruins. It's just ruins and dead people. And for what? I can't understand what.
Anastasiia returned from a visit to Ukraine two weeks ago, but she wouldn't share her last name to protect her privacy. Her parents were in a bomb shelter. She called them when she heard about the bombing. They rushed to pack their suitcases.
I am not available for them. She told Insider that she felt helpless and maybe she missed the signs. I don't know.
The conversations with her family are difficult. They ended up talking about the babies because of the conflict.
No one knows what to say. She said that no one knows how to support each other.
She and her family are at their home in Kyiv. They have no plans to leave.
They don't want to be refugees. She said they would stay to the end.
Rev. Koshyk said his parents and many of their relatives were considering moving to Poland.
Natalia said that her mother simply asked her to pray. Natalia's sister called her on Wednesday night and said she could hear explosions.
She told Insider that her grandma told her nephew to help her put together an emergency medical kit.
Natalia did not want to give her last name out of fear for her family.
Trofymenko said in a phone call that he was more hopeful than he was at the protest.
I see a lot of reports from the Ukrainian military, and they are quite optimistic, so I am trying to stay optimistic as well. He said that we are more enraged than depressed.
They don't know how to explain the situation to their three young children, who are under the age of 7. They didn't want to reveal their last name to protect family members in Russia.
When they said they were going to the San Francisco protest, their daughter asked if it was a holiday. Josh told Insider that they were not celebrating Putin's birthday. We are doing this so people will tell him to stop.
Her sister lives in Odesa, Ukraine, with her own family. The husband and two sons of her sister can't leave the country because of the government's ban on male citizens older than 60 years old leaving. Her sister used the phrase "If we survive".
"We didn't want this war, we didn't want this war, we didn't want this war, we didn't want this war, we didn't want this war, we didn't want this war, we didn't want this war, we None of us. No one gave us a choice.
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