Hundreds of people packed downtown Raleigh to mark Ukraine's 35th Independence Day, turning a celebration of food, music and cultural festivities into a tribute for a North Carolina Marine veteran who died fighting in the war. Among the crowd was Jennifer Baglivi, whose son Alexander Banas volunteered to fight in Ukraine after serving four years in the U.S. Marine Corps and surviving three years of chemotherapy for cancer.
The gathering took place Saturday, according to ABC11 News, which reported that organizers with Ukrainians in the Carolinas wanted the event to serve as an opportunity to keep attention focused on Ukraine and its ongoing struggle. Russia's full-scale invasion began more than four years before the event, and the station reported that many Ukrainians remain hopeful despite the war's length, per the organizers. Banas was honorably discharged from the U.S. military following his cancer treatment before choosing to enlist in Ukraine's defense forces, according to RealClearDefense.
Banas joined the International Legion and the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade before he was killed near Kupiansk on May 29, 2025, at age 26, RealClearDefense reported. A memorial service for him was held in New Bern last November, while his military unit in Ukraine held a separate ceremony over Zoom at his request that he ultimately be laid to rest in Ukraine, per the same account.
A Mother's Grief, A Reminder of Sacrifice
Baglivi told ABC11 that seeing attendees' emotion, tears and appreciation at the Raleigh event helped her healing from grief. She said the gathering reminded attendees that the fight for freedom extends beyond national borders, framing her son's death as part of a wider struggle that reaches well past Ukraine's borders and into communities like Raleigh's.
Olena Kozlova-Pates, who founded Ukrainians in the Carolinas in 2014 following Russia's initial invasion and annexation of Crimea, told the crowd that Ukraine is still standing, fighting and winning. According to Voyage Raleigh, the grassroots network officially incorporated as a Wake Forest-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2022 and expanded its volunteer operations that year to help pair incoming refugees with local housing sponsors across North Carolina.
Triangle's Growing Ukrainian Community
The Triangle is home to a large community of Ukrainian refugees, and statewide the numbers have grown substantially since the 2022 invasion. Approximately 2,000 Ukrainian refugees had settled in North Carolina under the federal Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program as of May 2026, according to BPR News, citing state Department of Health and Human Services data. The program permits displaced citizens to live and work in the U.S. for up to two years with a private sponsor.
Beyond public rallies, Ukrainians in the Carolinas has coordinated direct medical aid logistics, including a 2024 partnership with Duke University's REMEDY program to deliver donated hospital surgical equipment to military and civilian care providers in Ukraine, according to REMEDY at Duke. The project recovers surplus medical supplies from health facilities for global emergency aid.
Bipartisan Backing From North Carolina Leaders
Organizers said Ukrainians in the Carolinas has received bipartisan support from North Carolina leaders, and the Raleigh event carried official weight this year. Governor Josh Stein issued a state proclamation designating August 24, 2026, as Ukraine Independence Day across North Carolina, according to the Office of the Governor of North Carolina. U.S. Representative Deborah Ross, who represents North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District covering Raleigh and Wake County, was also present, ABC11 reported.
Ross voted in March 2022 for the federal omnibus government funding bill that allocated security and humanitarian aid to Ukraine while securing over $10 million for Wake County infrastructure projects, according to her office. U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, meanwhile, delivered a Senate floor speech in February 2025 calling Vladimir Putin a cancer and the greatest threat to democracy, reaffirming his support for continued U.S. military aid to Ukraine, per the Carolina Journal.
A State Response to Tragedy
North Carolina's engagement with the war has also been shaped by tragedy closer to home. In October 2025, Stein signed House Bill 307, known as Iryna's Law, eliminating cashless bail and tightening pretrial release conditions for violent crimes following the August 2025 stabbing death of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train, the Carolina Journal reported. The killing prompted extensive bipartisan debate and federal attention regarding transit safety and pretrial release.
North Carolina's state-level response to Russia's actions dates back to the earliest days of the full-scale invasion. In February 2022, then-Governor Roy Cooper issued Executive Order 251 directing state agencies to terminate contracts benefiting Russian entities, leading the state ABC Commission to suspend sales of Russian-produced spirituous liquor, according to the North Carolina ABC Commission. North Carolina was among several state governments that restricted operations and liquor distribution in response to the invasion.
For organizers and attendees in Raleigh, the celebration of Ukraine's 35th year of independence doubled as a statement that the war has not faded from local memory. Ukraine is defending itself against Russia, and per Ukrainians in the Carolinas, the organization continues urging Congress to keep providing support and resources for that fight.
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