HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Residents gathered Saturday at Butler Green Park to honor lives lost and renew calls for continued American support, marking four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The peaceful rally drew Ukrainian Americans, veterans and local residents who say the war, now the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, must not fade from public consciousness. Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, but escalated to a full-scale, multi-front assault on Feb. 24, 2022.
Among the speakers was Alex Drueke, a U.S. Army Reserve veteran with 12 years of military service who volunteered to fight alongside Ukrainian forces and was captured by Russian troops before being released in a prisoner exchange in September 2022…