To the editor:
I was stunned to see the picture captioned "Celebration in Ukraine" showing pro-Russian voters celebrating the referendum in Crimea. Few in Ukraine proper, outside of Crimea, were celebrating this illegitimate referendum, whose results are questionable. The picture and caption serve to further the aims of Putin’s propaganda war on Ukraine.
The placement of this photo and the misleading caption is insensitive to the thousands of Ukrainians who reside in the Rochester area, many of them Catholics. Our vibrant community recently participated in two assemblies; one at St. Josaphat’s Church to pray for peace and which included a nighttime march and another at Washington Square Park with the participation of the Russian speaking community to protest the invasion of Crimea.
The purpose of these protests in conjunction with those held in cities around the world is to support the desire of Ukrainians to live in an independent, democratic country free of corruption with opportunity and human rights for all. This is not possible with Russian intervention. So please refrain from implying that all Ukrainians are celebrating the loss of Crimea. But join us in praying for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Ukraine.
Irene Burke
Rochester
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ms. Burke identified herself as a parishioner of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Epiphany.
It certainly was not the Courier’s intent to imply that all — or even most — Ukrainians celebrated the loss of Crimea, and we regret if publishing the photo in question led readers to infer such an implication.
Tags: War in Ukraine
