'We have a long history': Calgary’s Ukrainian community celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Statehood.

About 50 people gathered in Calgary's East Village to mark the Day of Ukrainian Statehood Saturday.

The event, which officially takes place July 15, was launched three years ago in response to Russian aggression.

“This is very important because Ukrainian history is going back more than 1,000 years and this is what Moscow is trying to change,” said Ukrainian Canadian Congress Calgary spokesperson  Anna Tselukhina.

“They're trying to teach everybody that this is not true that Ukraine doesn't have its own state that it was created by Soviet Union; so this is what it's all about, just to remind everybody that Ukraine is an independent country and we have a long history.”

Tselukhina said now that the war is more than two years old, some politicians and people are talking about peace in exchange for occupied territories.

“Again and again we want to remind the global community that Ukraine has been and remain a sovereign state and will not agree to peace in exchange for a part of its territories,” she said.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Calgary Branch says Canada has a long history of Ukrainian immigrants’ heritage but what is even more important is that Canada has an even longer history of democracy and true respect for human rights.

"We appreciate all the help and assistance that Canada provided for Ukraine in the last two years including the latest contribution of $500 million of military help announced during the NATO summit and another $389 million to enhance F-16 pilot training," Tselukhina said.

The crowd eventually marched through downtown Calgary; many carrying and waving Ukrainian flags while others wore vyshyvanka, which are brightly embroidered shirts.

With files by Tyson Fedor