Ukraine’s Sovereignty and Resistance to Russian Imperialism:
Perspectives From Front-Liners

Join Prescott United Methodist Church and Arizona-wide Cactus and Tryzub Ukraine support volunteer initiative for a Church & Society-sponsored First Wednesday event, set to take place on May 6, 2026, starting at 4:00PM with an authentic Urkainian dinner following at 5:00PM. Native Ukrainians will talk about the impact of the current war on their people and culture. All are welcome to attend (only the first 100 to sign up and receive a ticket will have a dinner reserved).

UKRAINIAN VETERAN SPEAKERS:

Mykola Melnyk, Senior Lieutenant in Armed Forces of Ukraine (ret)
Founder & Director of Brave Children of Ukraine

Denys Haida, Senior Soldier-Operator in Armed Forces of Ukraine (ret)
Founder of Brave Children of Ukraine

Oleh Bonchynskyi, Senior Soldier-Operator in Armed Forces of Ukraine (ret)
Co-Founder & Head, Khodoriv Organization for Support of ATO Veterans

Moderated by Olya Johnson, co-founder at Cactus and Tryzub, a volunteer initiative in Arizona, based in Phoenix. Olya was born and raised in Kropyvnytsky, Ukraine. She will be joined by three Ukrainian war veterans who will share their stories.

Passionate supporters of Ukraine, many of those in Cactus and Tryzub have Ukrainian roots or other ties to the country—they deeply care about the outcome of the genocidal war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. Approaching the fourth year of the full-scale war, the efforts of Cactus and Tryzub remain focused on raising awareness, educa􀦞ng the public, countering Russian propaganda and advoca􀦞ng for continued support of Ukraine from the U.S. Congress.

After the presentation, at 5:00PM, the first 100 guests who signed up to attend the event (and have tickets in hand) will feast on authentic Ukrainian food for dinner. Contact Marty Nelson at martyrose1@hotmail.com with questions and for more information. See you there!