More than 1,000 people gathered Monday evening on the steps of California’s state Capitol to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The event drew a diverse crowd, including Ukrainian Americans, local leaders and a Russian dissident who fled Moscow to avoid fighting in the war.

The Sacramento region has the highest per capita population of Ukrainians in the United States — more than 20,000 from that nation now call the capital region home — making it a focal point for support efforts.

Standing near the stage, former Rancho Cordova mayor and longtime Assemblyman Ken Cooley, draped in a Ukrainian flag, said he saw resilience in the gathering.

“This may seem nutty, but this is like Thermopylae, Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, Normandy,” Cooley said. “Where do you find the spectacle of people who refuse to lay down and be intimidated unless you stand up for freedom?”

A video screen displayed images of destruction from the past three years, a stark reminder of the war’s toll. The crowd reacted with visible grief.

While speakers avoided direct criticism of former President Donald Trump, some attendees expressed frustration over his recent comments referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator.” That sentiment was compounded earlier in the day when the U.S. joined Russia, North Korea and Belarus in opposing a United Nations resolution condemning the invasion.

Olya LeBaron, who held a sign reading “Trump sides with Putin, I side with freedom,” said she had lost relatives in the war. She said she was stunned by Trump’s barrage of remarks that distanced the U.S. from a longtime ally.

“He called Zelenskyy a dictator, even though he was elected legally. Putin has been president for something like 20 years,” she said.

LeBaron criticized Trump’s engagement with Russia while excluding Ukraine from recent diplomatic discussions in Saudi Arabia between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

“Not inviting Ukraine or the rest of Europe, to us, it’s as if a U.S. ally was shaking hands with Osama bin Laden after 9/11,” she said. “Shaking hands with him and supporting ISIS. That’s how we feel about Russia.”

Maj. Gen. Matthew Beevers, adjutant general of the state’s military including the California National Guard and a longtime supporter of Ukraine, spoke at the rally.

At last year’s event, Beevers warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to dismantle the global order that has kept peace in Europe since World War II: “Free people everywhere know exactly what’s at stake.”

In an interview with The Sacramento, Beevers struck a more diplomatic tone regarding America’s role in Ukraine’s future.

“I’m 100% confident the Trump administration is going to get a just peace for Ukraine,” he said. “We have to, there’s no way to not do that. I think oftentimes the negotiating positions can convolute the message. I think that the Trump administration will get it done.”

Beevers noted that the first Trump administration provided $52.8 billion in military support to Ukraine.

“That’s just military support, not humanitarian aid,” he said. “So he’s delivered, and I expect he will continue to deliver.”

When asked about the Trump administration’s positioning on Ukraine, a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office pointed to statements he made at the outbreak of the war.

“California stands with Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in California — one of the largest in the country,” Newsom said at the time. “Our state shares many close ties with Ukraine and will continue our efforts to support the nation’s brave fight for the fundamental rights and freedoms of its people.”

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