With a huge Ukrainian flag stretched over the State House steps behind him, Gov. Larry Hogan led a solidarity vigil for Ukraine Wednesday night.

Addressing a crowd of lawmakers and members of the public, a visibly emotional Hogan praised the Ukrainian people’s resilient spirit in the face of terror and tragedy.

“Tonight, as we lift up the people of Ukraine with our prayers, they are lifting us up with incredibly inspiring displays of courage and resolve,” Hogan said.

He acknowledged the state has shown solidarity by severing business ties with Russian entities and terminating Maryland's thirty-year sister-state relationship with the Leningrad region in Russia.

“The Ukrainian people have shown themselves to be true heroes, showing the world what it means to stand up and fight to defend Freedom and reminding each and every one of us that freedom and liberty are worth fighting for,” Hogan said.

Lieutenant Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford likened what he called the “naked aggression” of Russian President Vladimir Putin to that of Adolf Hitler and called on “all the freedom-loving people to continue to stand with Ukraine as they fight for the way that so many of us take for granted.”

The leaders of the General Assembly echoed these sentiments. Senate President Bill Ferguson likened the power struggle to David and Goliath; House Speaker Adrianne Jones pledged solidarity with the countless refugees the war has created.

The vigil concluded with a prayer led by Father Vasyl Sivinskyi of St.Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Baltimore, where Hogan joined a prayer service Monday.

Cheers of “Slava Ukraini” or “Glory to Ukraine,” broke out before the crowd dispersed; the State House dome and Governor’s mansion were illuminated in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.