A march in Washington D.C. can mean many things to many people: riots, chaos, fringe opinions, and obscure concerns. To me, it means a chilling day, hours of patient standing, the soft brushing of puffer coats and picket signs against the wind, and a family gathering. Every year, for as long as I can remember, we’ve attended marches on landmark dates in Ukrainian history, such as Ukrainian activist and poet Taras Shevchenko’s birth date, March 9th. However, in recent times, these marches have been dedicated to spreading awareness and showing support for Ukrainians in the conflict with Russia.

Just a few short weeks ago, I made the trek to D.C. to attend a march commemorating the one-year mark of the war in Ukraine. Both religious and secular leaders spoke on the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial, battling freezing temperatures and biting winds to spread messages of perseverance and strength. Afterward, we paraded to the White House before making a stop in front of the Russian Embassy building. It was a sight to behold – hundreds of people brandishing Ukrainian flags and emblems on the doorstep of their oppressor. I couldn’t help but think of how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

From the early 1960s to the 70s, my grandfather was an active member and advocate of the Ukrainian-American community. Through the formation of Captive Nations Committees, the states behind the Iron Curtain were able to voice their concerns pertaining to their nations’ lack of freedom and well-being to the American government and the public. Ukrainians, disheartened by the control Russia exerted over them, were aware that Ukraine could not flourish under these conditions. Thus, marches, strikes, and protests became a primary avenue for Ukrainian Americans to voice their concerns. Around the same time, Ukrainians were also painfully aware of the volume of activists, poets, and visionaries who were either confined to gulags or completing Russian government-mandated military service. These protests worked, and President John F. Kennedy and the international community obtained the release of certain figures such as the patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

All of this turmoil in the 1960s and 70s has far more to do with the state of Ukraine today than what may be imagined. With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a new hope was that the newly minted countries of Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Russia would be free to go on their own paths of freedom and development. However, this will never be possible until the belief in the importance of returning to the old and powerful Russia is abandoned. Men like Vladimir Putin have ascertained that their destiny is to bring Russia back to its tsarist glory days by subjugating Ukraine and other proximate nations. This is one thing that may never change about the power dynamics of Russia. It’s a constant game of keep-away in which Ukraine clings to its freedom and Russia goes on the offensive.

It is clear that Putin does not accept historical events for what they are. The fall of the USSR was justified and necessary - but not in his mind. Putin is on a quest to deliver what the USSR sought: the power of a tsarist empire without all the fuss.

So, though we now live decades after my grandparents’ fight, Ukrainians and the global community are engaging in a chillingly similar conflict. Just days ago, Putin visited the demolished Ukrainian city of Mariupol, claiming to be rebuilding it to a haven just months after shelling it to smithereens. In this act of hypocrisy and bravado, Putin situates himself as the benevolent conqueror of Ukraine, a necessary evil. What is necessary about the unwonted assault on a free and democratic nation?

My grandparents have been protesting against some form or another of Russia’s ultimate plan of domination for their entire lives. From Stalin to Putin we have seen Russia demonstrate its inability to allow Ukraine to develop and exist independently. Putin is yet another perpetrator of this idea and is hellbent on the reassertion of the tsarist Russian government. Unfortunately, my grandparents’ fight has become my own as their generation wanes and mine comes to the forefront of global politics and policy. It is in our hands to become educated on these topics and conflicts as we inherit them.