any hundreds of Buryat people have come from Buryatia to the New York area since the fall of the Soviet Union, including a substantial number in just the last few years following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Much of the community is concentrated in the post-Soviet matrix of Bensonhurst and Brighton Beach, with the Buryaad Mongol United Association serving as one focal point for cultural celebrations, including the Sagaalgan (or Buryat Lunar New Year) and the Ayalga Summer Festival held in partnership with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance.