A flag for each U.S. state flies over the Cushman Street Bridge in downtown Fairbanks. But on Thursday night, they were joined by dozens of blue and yellow Ukrainian flags hoisted on hiking poles and fishing rods, or fluttering between protesters’ hands. A giant one was draped over the bridge itself.
Fairbanks resident Gerald Walker was flying an American flag upside down.
“It's very simple, the American country is in distress,” he said. “We have a traitor in the president's office.”
Almost 400 people packed the downtown bridge on Thursday to protest President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska. It was one of at least 10 protests planned in communities across the state in solidarity with Ukraine.
Many in the crowd said that they feel like President Trump’s invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet in Alaska was a betrayal of American values — and a betrayal of America’s Ukrainian allies.
Some had Ukrainian friends and loved ones on their minds — like Sveta Pasternak, an American citizen who immigrated from Belarus.
“We're here in honor of the immense suffering, but also just of the incredible bravery of the people of Ukraine,” she said. “We really hope that everybody, including our leadership, will embrace that message and get behind it.”
Sveta’s husband, Igor Pasternak, is originally from Ukraine. He said he felt encouraged to see his neighbors come out in support of his birth country. But that’s paired with some more complicated feelings about the meeting.
“It would be great to get something out of this, but there’s very little optimism,” he said. “One country is trying to hold their lands, the other is annexing lands in the 21st Century, after World War II. History doesn’t teach people lessons.”
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Nearby, Fairbanks resident Dan LaSota carried a sign painted with the Ukrainian flag and the words “habeas corpus.” He said he was also there to grab photos and videos of the protest to lift the spirits of his Ukrainian friends living in Vinnytsia, who live under the constant threat of attack.
“Their sleep is disrupted, their nearby buildings get blown up by incoming missiles,” he said. “It's a horror show every day for them.”
