Dimitry Zhurauliou, a native of Belarus and a staunch supporter of neighboring Ukraine, speaks to the nearly 200 people who gathered Tuesday at City Hall Plaza to show support for the nation and local Ukrainians. He carries a small Ukrainian flag and a large one that represents Belarusian independence. At left is Mayor Jim Donchess, and at right is Myroslav Biley, a pastor of the Gate City Church's Slavic congregation.

NASHUA – Yuliya Biley’s voice broke with emotion at times as she began to thank Greater Nashuans of all persuasions and backgrounds who have rallied on behalf of the local Ukrainian community in its time of need.

“We know people from all over (the Ukraine) who are hiding in dungeons, in bunkers, trying to hide from all the bombs … there are women giving birth right under the rockets. This is just heartbreaking,” said Biley, one of several speakers who shared personal stories and led prayers with a gathering estimated at nearly 200 people strong on City Hall Plaza Tuesday evening.

But as horrific as the news has been coming out of the Ukraine the past three weeks or so, Biley and her husband, Myroslav, who lead the Slavic congregation at Nashua’s Gate City Church, are bursting with gratitude for all the offers of help from their adopted community.

“Everywhere we go, people want to help, to donate,” she said, referring to the seemingly endless offers by folks wanting to help the cause.

“In our eyes you are heroes,” Biley added. “Ukrainians really need our help.”

A number of U.S. military veterans from the area were among the nearly 200 people who turned out at City Hall Plaza Tuesday in a show of support for local Ukranians and their nation. Speaking in the background is Yuliya Biley, a leader of the Slavic congregation at Gate City Church.

Mayor Jim Donchess and his staff organized the roughly hour-long show of support, beginning by inviting the Bileys and several other guests to share stories and prayers for their fellow Ukrainians, some of whom could very well be among the casualties of the Putin-led invasion of the peaceful, independent nation.

The program included the raising of the azure-blue over golden-yellow Ukrainian flag on the City Hall Plaza flagpole, timed to coincide with playing of the Ukrainian national anthem.

Donchess, Myroslav Biley and a couple of other participants conducted the ceremonial raising, which prompted many in attendance to raise cell phones to capture the moment in photos or on video.

Dimitry Zhurauliou, a native of Belarus who said he grew up dreaming that one day he would come to the United States, carried two flags – one, a hand-held Ukrainian flag and the other, a large “Pahonya” banner affixed to a wooden staff – as he made his way around the plaza and stopping to chat with other visitors.

The Pahonya, a red and white banner featuring a mounted knight, was adopted by Belarus about a century ago to symbolize the nation’s newfound independence.

Some of the nearly 200 people who turned out at City Hall Plaza Tuesday to show support for local Ukrainian residents listen to Dimitry Zhurauliou, a native of Belarus and a staunch supporter of neighboring Ukraine, speak from the City Hall steps.

Invited to the staging area to address the gathering, Zhurauliou reiterated the words of gratitude spoken by the Bileys, then expressed his deep concerns for the future of Russia’s neighbors if Putin is not stopped.

“Today Ukraine, tomorrow, the Baltics, or Poland. We don’t know who is next,” Zhurauliou said.

His fear that his homeland may one day find itself facing the plight that Ukrainians are experiencing affects him deeply, he said.

“I cry, every day, I see old people dying, women, children dying … I see them bomb hospitals,” Zhurauliou said, referring to watching news coverage of the invastion.

“I don’t know why the governments don’t help … they give support, yes, but we need help,” he said, referring to military intervention by western nations.

Some of the nearly 200 people who turned out at City Hall Plaza Tuesday for a speaking and prayer program in support of the local Ukrainian community display posters and replicas of the nation's flag while listening to the speakers.

“We cannot wait until tomorrow. By then, it may be the third (world) war.”

Yuliya Biley, meanwhile, is a physician who practiced medicine in her native Ukraine until she, Myroslav and their children came to Nashua at the invitation of Gate City Church senior pastor Paul Berube.

While most of their family members live in the western part Ukraine and “fortunately, are relatively safe,” Biley said she knows how hard “my colleagues (in the medical profession) are working, saving the wounded, saving lives, even as we speak.”

Toward the end of the program, Cecilia Ulibarri, a member of Donchess’s staff and the president of the Rotary Club of Nashua West, told the gathering that the club, in conjunction with Rotary International and its district, has created a Ukrainian relief fund.

Ulibarri said 100 percent of funds donated go directly to Ukrainian relief. Donations can be sent to the Rotary Club of Nashua West, P.O. Box 75, Nashua, 03061.

With their country's flag flowing in the breeze behind them, Yuliya and Myroslav Biley, leaders of the Slavic congregation at Nashua's Gate City Church, close their eyes in prayer during Tuesday evening's speaking and prayer program at City Hall Plaza.

For more information, go to www.rotarynashuawest.com.

Such relief initiatives, Ulibarri said, are becoming increasingly important for “the millions of people who have had to flee their homes and their towns” since the invasion got underway.

Berube, the Gate City Church senior pastor, announced that the church has begun collecting goods and shipping them daily to the affected areas as part of a greater humanitarian aid effort.

For more information, go to www.gatecitychurch.org.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.