Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Illinois – Springfield gathered for a moment of silence Friday to show their support for those suffering in Ukraine as Russian aggression enters a tenth day.
Matthew Lapsley is a senior and a member of the men’s tennis team. His doubles partner is Ukrainian. “I think if we’re silent about things like this now,” he said, “then evil will continue to happen.”
Concerning Vladimir Putin, Lapsley said, “He’s very scary. If the Russians attack cyber security, they’re a huge threat to the United States. Very, very scary.”
More than a million people have fled Ukraine, creating a humanitarian crisis. Countless others have been displaced as Russian troops target major cities and, on Friday, one of Europe’s largest nuclear power plants.