Green Bay Reporter

Crowds are gathering in Ashwaubenon to call for peace after Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues.

Valentyn Tereschchenko, according to a report by Fox 11, was among those in the crowd of American and Ukrainian flags. He said his parents are in Ukraine surrounded by Russian troops and shells exploding 20 to 30 miles away. He has other relatives in Kyiv, the nation’s capital.

"They spent the three last nights in a bomb shelter," Tereshchenko told Fox 11. "There's little kids as well as my sister, she's fleeing to the west trying to get to Poland right now."

At Ashwaubenon, young children hold signs asking for love over war. Others tell Russia President Vladimir Putin to stop bombing their families.

"I'm very proud of the people of Ukraine,” Tereshchenko said. “Brave sons and daughters of Ukraine, standing up to Putin and Russia. They're in the front lines trying to stop this aggression, stop this war."

Ukrainians and Russians are gathering to denounce the war, including Vlada Klymenko, who is Ukrainian, and Milana Volkova, who is Russian.  

"Politics and people there are not the same,” Volkova told Fox 11. “Nobody listens to people, what they want right now. It's just a game of politics.”

Klymenko, who is from Kyiv, is hoping for a peaceful resolution. 

"Some people say you can't be friends because she's from Russia and she's from Ukraine, but it is literally political and is trying to make everything worse," Klymenko said. "But we're friends and it doesn't really matter what nationality we are."