Six-year-old Andriy Lankov stood tall with both his hands raised high above his head to help carry a large Ukrainian flag many times larger than himself. Beside him, his sister and mother hugged and chanted, “Close the skies,” along with the rest of the crowd.

Thousands gathered together at the Daley Plaza on March 6,afternoon to demand that the Ukrainian skies be established as a “no-fly zone” to protect civilians from Russia’s constant attacks.

Rally organizers called for the boycotting of companies who have not pulled business out of Russia yet, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks. Both businesses joined a corporate exodus by March 8, according to NPR.

U.S. officials and NATO have refused to establish a no-fly zone, citing concerns about triggering a global conflict.

Friends, family and children came together bearing blue and yellow flags, flowers and pictures of their loved ones in Ukraine. As speakers took turns sharing their condolences and demands, the atmosphere grew more united on that chilly Chicago afternoon.

A 26-year-old Eadim Flaks stood with his friend looking somber.“I’m indirectly impacted,” Flaks said. “I’m from Russia, and I have friends that are from Ukraine. I know people on both sides of this mess.”

Flaks was one of many who were thinking about their loved ones. Thirty-eight-year-old Zoryana Smozhanyk has family in Ukraine who are preparing to flee the country after the loss of her uncle.

Smozhanyk settled in Chicago with her parents when she was young and grew up visiting her family in Ukraine during the summer. When news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reached her, she felt like the worst case scenario had come

“I felt immediate dread,” Smozhanyk said. “My chest felt heavy and I started to shake. Tensions have existed between Russia and Ukraine for years, and I always worried that one day Putin would take action. The morning I received that phone call from my mom, I knew that my fears had come true.”

As news of the conflict traveled around the world, Ukraine became a topic of concern for both individual people and entire nations alike. Many say that the rising awareness has resulted in the spread of Ukrainian culture and history.“I’ve had people, who never even knew what the Ukrainian flag colors were, learn more about it and have been talking to me about the culture and stuff,” said 17-year-old Thomas Boss. “Everyone is googling about Ukraine and trying to figure out what our culture is, what our history is and trying to learn about it more.”

Boss and his mom, Alicia Shalayska, attended the march to show support for their cousins in Ukraine.

“I think a great number of people came out today and it’s great that we’re all coming together,” Shalayska said. “We’ve been so divided as a country and this is bringing us together, hopefully. We have the common goal of trying to fight this dictator.”

After the speakers finished sharing, the group of roughly 2,000 protestors marched down the streets of Chicago towards Millenium Park. The streets rang with the chants of the marchers and the supporting honks of nearby cars.

“At the very least, I hope we’re able to spread some awareness because you don’t know who you’re going to encounter at these protests,” Flaks said. “Some of these people might have real pull with monetary donations and political figures. At the most, I hope we can raise money and send it back home to Ukraine so we can support our people, because we’re in a very tight situation.”