How the Sacramento Ukrainian community celebrated Independence Day
Three and a half years since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, the Sacramento community of Ukrainian immigrants and refugees gathered Sunday to celebrate their country’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Ukrainian community in Sacramento is a large one — more than 20,000 Ukrainians lived in Sacramento as of 2022, a number that has only grown since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 as hundreds of thousands of people have sought refuge in the United States. The Ukrainian refugee population is concentrated on the West Coast and Sacramento holds the highest per-capita and third-largest total Ukrainian population.
A festival centered around Ukrainian music and food was held at the state Capitol in the evening.
But in the morning, Vlad Skots, a Ukrainian immigrant, Sacramento businessowner and nonprofit founder, hosted a brunch conference for California-based Ukrainian entrepreneurs and advocates for the country, highlighting the importance of business partnerships in supporting Ukrainians during the war and after it ends — whenever that may be.
“Because if no freedom, no business. No business, no freedom — they bring (each other) together,” Skots said in his opening remarks. “Business is not only about profit, it’s about building nations. It’s about family, send kids to the school, build roads, innovate medicine, education.”
Dmytro Kushneruk, consul general of Ukraine in San Francisco and a diplomat whose work involves building political connections and economic relations between Ukraine and California, also addressed the gathering. He said that state officials and private entities within the state have been instrumental in providing material support to Ukrainians since the Russian invasion.
“This gathering is not only about the economic opportunity, it’s about people values, resilience and then partnership,” Skots said in his opening remarks. “And it’s about business. It’s how business can build the bridge between nations, cultures and communities, and a bridge that carries not only profit, but also a purpose.”
Kushneruk also said that while he prefers not to refer to all Ukrainians who have come to the United States since the invasion as “refugees,” noting that some will likely only be temporarily displaced, many are integrating well with their local communities by starting businesses that create jobs in the local economy.
Skots’ organization, Ukrainian American House, which hosted the brunch and the community festivities at the Capitol on Sunday evening, is a nonprofit that provides the Ukrainian and Slavic refugee communities with housing assistance, English classes and other services that help displaced people adjust to American life.
Skots said that he was happy to land in Sacramento where he has felt well-supported in building his business.
“I came to Sacramento 26 years ago, with zero English, 1,000 bucks in my pocket,” Skots said. “I build business in this country. I support others and many other people like me, not because we are not super smart, just because of the opportunity given in this country. So I’m proud to call myself American — Ukrainian American.”
Though the gathering reflected a spirit of optimism, hosts and panelists solemnly recognized the destruction caused by war, the loss of Ukrainian life and the continued hardship that people there are facing.
“I pray the war would end any minute, or any second,” said Nikolay Skots, brother of Vlad Skots and a pastor at Bethany Slavic Church in Sacramento.
This story was originally published August 24, 2025 at 5:29 PM.
