09/02/2026
FREE event this Sunday September 6, 2-4pm!
Tulsa residents are invited to “From Tulsa to Ukraine: Stories of Courage and Hope,” a special free community event at Circle Cinema featuring firsthand stories from Sumy, Ukraine, and the Ukrainian front lines.
The program will highlight Tulsa’s Friendship City relationship with Sumy and the recent visit of Karl E. Ahlgren, Honorary Consul of Ukraine to Oklahoma; Aaron York, Director of Policy and Executive Initiatives for the City of Tulsa; and Adam Barnett, Senior Director of Missions and Evangelism at Asbury Church. They will share what they saw in Sumy, the people they met, and what they believe Tulsa should understand about life in its Ukrainian Friendship City today.
A special guest will be Viktor “Gideon” Cherniavskyi, a Ukrainian defender, military chaplain, drone operator, husband and father, and former prisoner of war. Viktor was captured in eastern Ukraine in 2014 while serving as a Christian volunteer and endured imprisonment and torture. After his release, he continued serving Ukraine. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, he joined Ukraine’s defense and has since completed more than 50 combat missions. Viktor will share his personal experience of captivity, faith, military service, and what the continued support of Americans means to Ukrainians defending their country.
The afternoon will include two short films highlighting Sumy and Viktor’s work in AZOV, personal stories from the Tulsa delegation, Viktor’s testimony, and a moderated panel discussion led by Maryna White, followed by audience Q&A and a Ukrainian dessert reception.
At its heart, “Stories of Courage and Hope” is about people — the people of Sumy living through war, those who traveled from Tulsa to stand with them, and the relationships that continue to bring the two cities closer together.
