LAWRENCE, Kan. — Ukrainian college students Elina Shutova and Mykola Hordiichuk personally asked the Kansas Legislature to help their home country.
The resolution, backed by numerous state legislators, encouraged the U.S. government to provide emergency and financial support.
“I was excited to educate people, and I was hoping to reach out to more people to explain how serious the matter is that the war is actually happening,” Hordiichuk said.
Hordiichuk’s parents are still at his home in Uman, Ukraine. He says currently there are no land troops there, so the situation is more stable and predictable than other parts of the country.
His parents have taken in two refugees from the east who are seeking safety.
“I’m just proud that Ukrainians are united right now — so strong. And they are helping each other and it’s incredible,” Hordiichuk said. “It encourages me, gives me faith, hope, but of course it’s really sad to even think.”
It has been difficult for him to fully imagine the magnitude of the war in his home country. But seeing photos and videos of places that are familiar to him destroyed helps put some of the experiences of his family into perspective.
“I just cannot imagine that," he said. "I can talk about how bad it is, but when you hear explosions next to you, when you hear bullets shots, when there's actual siren going off when you’re sleeping, it’s terrifying. And honestly, my whole life I was afraid to hear the siren."
Elina Shutova, a sophomore at the University of Kansas, says bravery and patriotism run in the genes of Ukrainians, which is why many of them are choosing to stay behind and fight for their homes.
“As they share what’s going on right now, I cannot believe that,” Shutova said. “It’s just unexplainable how he can, Putin can, do this to millions of people.”
Her family was forced to leave their hometown of Kherson, Ukraine, and move closer to the Polish border. She says it is heartbreaking to see her beautiful town bombed over the last couple of weeks.
“It is really hard to see everything that is going on from here, from the United States, knowing that the only thing I can do is speak up and let people know,” Shutova said.
Both Shutova and Hordiichuk remember growing up learning about their history and how they became an independent country. So while they agree it is hard to see and hear the realities of war, the bravery and patriotism of their fellow citizens have given them hope and pride.
“Ukrainian troops and Ukrainian people — they are not giving up,” Shutova said. “We’re going to fight until the end, and I think that Ukrainian people are strong enough to do it.”
