>As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second week, Bellingham-area residents are standing in solidarity with people of Slavic descent by demonstrating for peace, and scholars are helping make sense of the war. Ukrainian immigrant Nazar Gamdysey of Blaine told The Bellingham Herald that the invasion that began Feb. 24 is particularly upsetting for Whatcom County residents of mixed Slavic heritage and especially for the members of his Ukrainian Evangelical Church. “We have Ukrainians, Russians, and Belarussians. For us, it really hurts to see that our brothers are fighting,” Gamdysey said. “It tears us apart to see this happening,” he said. Gamdysey came to the U.S. 31 years ago with his parents at age 10, fleeing religious persecution at the hands of Soviet police.