Hundreds gathered outside the Colorado state Capitol on Sunday in support of Ukraine and to mark three years since Russian forces started their invasion.

“Today we came here just to raise our voices, to raise awareness that the war is still active. The war has not ended,” Marina Dubrova, president of the organizing nonprofit Ukrainians of Colorado, said outside the Capitol.

What began as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” has turned into Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. Tens of thousands have been killed, entire cities have been destroyed, and millions of Ukrainians have become refugees.

“The Denver rally is part of an international effort intended to call attention to Ukraine’s need for military, humanitarian, and political support in the largest land war in Europe since World War II,” officials of Ukrainians of Colorado said in a statement.

The Ukraine rally in front of the Capitol on Sunday occurred nearly three years after Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

“We still need a lot of help, a lot of weapons,” Dubrova said. “We still need to protect the sky of Ukraine. We still have to arrest all the war criminals, including Putin and other Russians, to prevail justice and peace in the whole world.”

The rally, which featured donation booths, resource tables, and many flying Ukrainian flags drew honks from motorists passing by.

Cyndi Kennedy, who said her grandparents moved to the United States in 1909, was among those who were holding signs for motorists along Lincoln Avenue.

“If you lose Ukraine, you lose Europe,” she said. 

Kennedy, who said she raises funds for Ukraine through her artwork, also volunteers for Sunflower Seeds Ukraine, a full-time volunteer organization dedicated to donating military resources in the country.

“I took an oath to defend democracy here,” said Philip Pepalis, rallying with Kennedy. “We had help with our democracy. They said we couldn’t win. So, the rhetoric is just totally against everything that is how I was raised.”

Dubrova, representing thousands of Ukrainians in Colorado, insisted leaders consider additional resources to Ukraine, arguing money shouldn’t be an issue.

“Lives are not about the money,” Dubrova said. “There is humanity, there is kindness.”

“I think those things have to prevail over money,” Dubrova said. “I understand they are working on a peace agreement, but there are so many people left behind, we would like to help and continue helping them.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.