What they say they need more than anything right now is prayer and support.
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – For some people here in the United States, Russia’s attack on Ukraine is personal. It affects their home country, their friends and even their families.
We spoke to a Ukrainian woman who lives in Warner Robins and her two friends who still live there. The two friends say the hardest thing is saying goodbye to the men in their household.
Olesia and Kate Shakhraiuk are sisters-in-law. They spent six days in a basement with their 1.5-year-old and 12-year-old child while trying to stay safe.
“Our hearts break because when you say ‘goodbye’ and ‘take care’. You understand that this may be the last time you see your brother or husband,” Olesia said.
In Ukraine, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are currently being asked to stay and fight for their country. Olesia says fear set in when Russia began bombing the city.
“We heard the sirens and the explosions all night. I think on the third day we started to be scared,” Olesia said.
The two left in the middle of the night and took a 14-hour train ride to western Ukraine — a safe place for now. Alla Gulchuk lived in Ukraine for 37 years. She now lives in Warner Robins with her husband and their one-year-old son.
She says both her and her husband’s family have gone into hiding and fear for their lives.
To make matters worse, the telephone connection is currently not working because the Russians are blocking every connection.
“I always check my messenger to see if they’ve been active on messenger or not. That way I can understand if they were alive or not,” Gulchuk said.
Gulchuk’s parents cannot leave their house because the church in their village is occupied by Russian troops. She not only suffers for her relatives, “but I have great, great pain for the whole country, for all of Ukraine, because I love my country. That’s where I come from,” Gulchuk said.
What they say they need more than anything right now is prayer and support.
If you would like to donate, you can go to HelpUA.org.
