Ukrainian national anthem played from bell towers marking 3rd year of ongoing war

The Ukrainian anthem played at Stanford and Cal  

PALO ALTO, Calif. - The Ukrainian national anthem was played at Hoover Tower in Stanford and in Berkeley at the Campanile as part of a national campaign to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of the war in Ukraine. People also gathered on Stanford’s campus on Monday afternoon.  

At 5 o’clock on the dot Monday evening, the Ukrainian national anthem blared from Hoover Tower at Stanford University and earlier at the Campanile at Cal. This year, its national anthem was played from 50 bell towers around the world thanks to the non-profit group Support Ukraine with Us. 

Stanford student Abby Pan played the carillon, the musical instrument used inside the bell tower.

"I got asked today, in honor of the Ukrainian anniversary of the invasion, to play the Ukrainian anthem and some stuff to commemorate what’s going on in Ukraine," said Abby Pan, a Stanford Carillonist.   

What they're saying:

Feb. 24 marks the third year since the war began in Ukraine. Dozens of people gathered at Stanford's White Plaza to talk about the war and its impact on their lives.

"In my family, we started speaking Ukrainian again. We were speaking Russian for a long time, and now we mostly speak Ukrainian," said Olga Gavrylyako, a Ukrainian national who's lived in the U.S. for 25 years.  

One woman carried a sign that read, ‘I’m scared’. She says she moved to California as a Ukrainian refugee.

"I’m here today because, exactly three years ago, I woke up from the explosions at 4 a.m. in Kyiv, and you know, it's a traumatic syndrome. Every year, the same day, you feel it," said Oleksandra Oliinyk, of Half Moon Bay.

At the end of the rally, the national anthem was played again. Maksym Zubkov and Annabel Hou, who co-founded ‘Support Ukraine with Us’, helped to organize Monday’s events.

"So, we got about eight towers in the United States, and we were sort of building out our community from there and reaching out to different bell towers and student groups, especially Ukrainian clubs," said Hou. 

"If I’m a Ukrainian refugee who escaped the destruction, isn’t it going to be beautiful that you’re going to walk in the city and then suddenly, on the most difficult day of your life, you’re going to hear the Ukrainian anthem?" said Zubkov. 

What we know:

According to the Associated Press, more than a dozen Western leaders were in Kyiv on Monday and vowed to continue supporting Ukraine financially. 

Meanwhile, President Trump seems to be leaning towards Russia’s stance on the war while trying to negotiate an end to the conflict.