US House Ukrainian Caucus members hold vigil at Holodomor Memorial

Members of the House Ukrainian Caucus led a public demonstration Monday afternoon at the Holodomor Memorial near the Capitol. 

The event, led by members of Congress and open to the public, took place at a memorial in tribute to the approximately four million Ukrainians who lost their lives in the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 when the country was under Russian control.  

"Right now, Ukraine and its people are under threat and they need our support " wrote Representative Rosa DeLauro on Twitter after attending the event. "We must continue to stand up and speak out. Ukraine is not alone. The world is with you."

Among the organisers of the demonstration was Andy Levin, a Democratic representative from a district near Detroit with a large Ukrainian community.

Since the Russian invasion of the country began last week, he has returned to his district to join his constituents in support of their anti-war demonstrations.

He has also appeared on news programmes and social media to broadcast their families' personal stories of suffering.

One of his recent tweets reads: "Talked to grandma in Kiev. She said they will fight the Russians with knives if they have to. Said they won't be evacuating and the entire family is in the city."

Russia launched a brutal invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, aiming for major cities such as Kharkiv and Kyiv.

The assaults on these cities has killed over 100 civilians with fears of a much higher death toll in the coming days with Russia's use of GRAD missiles, cluster bombs and other weapons on packed Ukrainian cities.