KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Native Ukrainians and Americans who have spent time in the country, are closely watching the current situation abroad with concern.
Alexey Ladokhin was born in Donetsk and raised in Kyiv. He remembers stressful mornings in 2014, during his native country's revolution that ousted a pro-Russian president.
"Given the eight hour difference in time, the first thing, with blurry eyes, you go to the Internet and check, have they started heavy bombardment or not yet?" Ladokhin said.
Storm clouds gather again in 2022.
Vitaly Chernetsky is a professor of Slavic literature and languages at the University of Kansas.
Chernetsky is originally from Odessa, Ukraine, and is seeing family and friends take the threat seriously.
"It's an emotional toll, and I think this is part of, unfortunately, Russian leadership's strategy," Chernetsky said. "Psychological pressure is also a form of attack."
These Ukrainians, and others locally, anxiously watch from their homes in Kansas City, Missouri.
"Both of my parents live within one block of Ukrainian head security forces," Ladokhin said. "So if there will be a missile attack, they are preparing to hold their door."
The stakes are high, abroad and at home.
"It's a civilizational conflict between the forces of democracy and the forces that want to undermine democracy, and Ukraine happens to be on the front line," Ladokhin said.
"We want our friends and neighbors in the KC metro area, and more broadly across the country, to know that this is a peace-loving nation which has a long history of friendly and supportive relations with the United States," Chernetsky said.
Americans who have lived and worked there, say they're deeply affected by those experiences.
"They're a country that is new to their freedom and I think that that’s something that was really beautiful to witness," Emma Givens, a former Peace Corps volunteer said.
Ethan Scharf, a fellow volunteer, also recalled his Ukrainian hospitality.
"They really open up to you and provide incredible food [and] hospitality," Scharf said. "I got a bike over there, it was lost and I had neighbors and friends help me look for it, relentlessly putting posts out, just a lot of very friendly people there."
Thousands of miles away, natives and allies are ready to support.
"God forbid it escalates, we will mobilize and do our share to help our kinfolk back in Ukraine," Chernetsky said.
