Ukrainians and Ibizans gathered yesterday in Santa Eulària to show their condemnation of the war offensive initiated by Russia in the early hours of last Thursday. They first gathered in the chapel of Lourdes, where a mass was celebrated at 7:30pm to call for peace in Ukraine. More than a hundred people attended the religious ceremony, presided over by the bishop of Ibiza , Vicent Ribas, and concelebrated by Dmytro Kyiashko , a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on the island.
Great concern, fear and sadness could be read on the faces of the Ukrainians who filled the chapel. “I have spent the whole day crying, watching TV to follow what is happening in my country and talking on the phone with the family I have there. My parents live in Ivano-Frankivsk, one of the areas that Russia has attacked. My mother told me that at six o’clock in the morning she heard several explosions. They are scared and have their suitcases packed in case they have to leave,” said Lyudmyla Domska, a Ukrainian resident of the island for 19 years, upon her arrival at the chapel.
“I did not expect this crisis to end in war. I have a lot of family in Ukraine. My daughter, who is in Ivano-Frankivsk, called me very early saying that the house was shaking. She was very scared. She is trying to cross the border, but there is a queue of vehicles for many kilometers. She has only taken her passport with her”, explained Svitlana Zakharuk, who was wearing, like many others, a scarf with the blue and yellow colors of her country’s flag. A resident of Ibiza for 16 years, this Ukrainian is convinced that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, will not be satisfied with Ukraine and “will provoke war all over the world”.
The religious ceremony presided by the bishop of Eivissa in the chapel of Lourdes. | TONI ESCOBAR
The mass was also attended by dozens of Ibizans to show their solidarity with Ukraine, such as Ángela and Maribel García. “I have come to show my support to the Ukrainian community in these difficult times”, explained this member of the Santa Eulària parish choir. This time it was not her turn to sing. During the ceremony, several members of the Ukrainian community sang several religious songs in their language, which brought tears to the eyes of many.
“We are gathered here to ask for the conversion of people who sow fear, destruction and death. How much damage is done by the arrogance of wanting to be more powerful, of wanting to impose ideas and a way of seeing the world. We have to be builders of peace. Let us ask God to put an end to this spiral of violence and that the rulers of nations seek reconciliation and the good of their people”. This was the central message of the speech by the Bishop of Ibiza, with which he wanted to show that “the island is with Ukraine”.
Dmytro Kyiashko also spoke at the end of the religious ceremony, who asked the attendees to pray daily “for the Ukrainian military, the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian land”. In addition, he thanked the president of the Consell de Ibiza, Vicent Marí, the mayor of Santa Eulària, Carmen Ferrer, and the national deputy Miquel Jerez for their presence at the ceremony.
“We are here to show the solidarity and affection of the Ibizans for the Ukrainian community of the island in these moments of terrible suffering. Wars are outdated, only Putin’s ambition has led to this situation. We wish for peace to return as soon as possible”, declared the president of the Consell after the end of the mass.
Minute of silence for the Ukrainian lives lost so far
The next stop was at the Town Hall square of Santa Eulària. There, with flags and banners of their country, a large representation of the Ukrainian community residing on the island gathered, made up of 266 people, according to data provided by the association ‘Our Ukraine‘. Its acting vice-president, Maryana Lukynyuk, was the spokesperson for the event, which began with the Ukrainian anthem and a minute’s silence for all those who have lost their lives. Dmytro Kyiashko then took the floor and addressed the audience in Ukrainian. The priest stressed the importance of being united and praying for Ukraine to bring peace back to the country. Lukynyuk also spoke, and could not help but be moved at the end of her speech: “Many Ukrainians have gathered here, which shows that we are very united and concerned about the situation our families in Ukraine are facing. It is difficult to say anything because there is pain in my heart. We did not expect Russia to come to this. We can only ask God to protect and help us.
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