Standing with Ukraine

Roman Vashchuk received a long and loud ovation here at Climate Pledge Arena Wednesday night. That was even before the national anthem.

The Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena invited Vashchuk to sing his native Ukrainian anthem in a show of solidarity with the embattled nation under attack from Russia. Vashchuk's rousing version, sung before the Star-Spangled Banner, represented his first time singing the Ukrainian anthem at a sporting event. There were tears among fans and media alike.
"It's a really big privilege for me," Vashchuk said during the first intermission.

Vashchuk, a professional singer, was invited to perform as part of a Christmas concert at a local Ukrainian Orthodox church. He was scheduled to return home earlier this year but was delayed when he tested positive for COVID-19.
The illness led to a blood clot in Vashchuk's heart that now prevents him from traveling by plane. His destination would now be Poland with Ukraine under attack.
Vashchuk's wife and three children (10, seven and "almost two"- girl, boy, girl) escaped to Poland when the bombing started, leaving all of their belongings behind at their home in a northwest suburb of Kyiv.
Vashchuk showed a reporter cell phone video of major destruction from bombing just a mile from the family home, which is near Gostomel airfield, a cargo airport that Russian forces seized last Thursday.
While his family is safe in Poland, they can't travel to the U.S. for a reunion with Vashchuk and his in-laws, who live in Portland, moving there five years ago. Vashchuk's wife and two older children have visas, but the toddler does not yet have documentation.
"The Polish embassy said it would be 11 of May before she can travel," Vashchuk said. "There are so many people in Poland hoping to get visas."