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Davis Journal

Close to Home: Davis County Ukrainians react to Russian invasion

Mar 04, 2022 12:21PM ● By Tom Haraldsen

More than 500 attended the Saturday rally at the state capitol to support Ukraine.

It’s hard to be away from family and friends when they are suffering, especially more than 5,800 miles away. For many residents in Davis County who came from or have recently visited Ukraine, the invasion by Russia that began last week has been heartbreaking and terrifying. It has been for many Americans and citizens of other countries as well.

Oksana Million immigrated from Ukraine in 1996. She and her husband Sam live in Fruit Heights, and though her family members still in Ukraine were waiting for this to happen, “nobody believed it would.”

She joined with hundreds of others at a rally held last Saturday in front of the Utah State Capitol. Members of the Utah Ukrainian Association organized the rally, as well as a second one held Monday night, to show support for their countrymen and women. In all, close to 2,000 people attended the two events, including many members of the Utah State Legislature on Monday.

“My mother Nadia lives here with us, but my mom’s sisters and my brother’s daughter still live there,” Million said. “Although they are now permanent residents of Utah, they are still not completely moved here and were getting ready to leave Ukraine when this happened. They were stuck in Kyiv and went to a little cottage about an hour away and are staying there.”

She said she’s been able to speak to them, and the family still has water and power, but “even though Russia says they’re only aimed at strategic targets, their artillery is destroying homes and buildings and killing civilians.”

Yulia Holko is a former resident of Bountiful now living in Salt Lake City. She is a director with the association and spoke at Saturday’s rally, thanking the huge crowd for coming out in support of Ukraine.

“As you know, Ukrainians are fighting for their land,” she told the crowd. “They’re fighting for the values of democracy, freedom, and to be free of terror. Putin is a dangerous man, and he will not stop at Ukraine. If the world doesn’t stop him now, he will be at the doorstep of Europe tomorrow.”

Holko, who has lived in the U.S. for 20 years, said her family back home is terrified, because there’s so much uncertainty. “They don’t know exactly what to do – it kind of changes by the hour. Some of them are thinking of going to Poland, but it’s very hard and some roads are blocked and the gas shortage is very serious. Some of them are picking up guns and fighting, or helping in any way they can.”

And she said her friends who are journalists in Ukraine are obviously standing their ground to get the word out about what is occurring.

Oksana Andriishyn lives in Centerville with her mother Inia and a daughter. She moved to the U.S. 12-½ years ago, first living in Arizona and then Chicago before coming to Utah. But her father, a sister and niece, and her two grandmothers still live in Ukraine. One of her grandmothers who has been hiding in a bomb shelter with other family members survived the German-Soviet war in 1941. 

“She still remembers how they had to run for their lives, and experiences the same fears again these days,” Andriishyn said.

Just before Saturday’s rally, she spoke on the phone to a couple of relatives in Ukraine.

“They heard a siren go off and ran to the basement for safety,” she said. “I have a few male cousins who’ve agreed to join the military. They are the only males that we rely on and we’re proud of them that they’ve made the decision to defend our country.”

She credits the resilience of the Ukrainian people to the fact that “we’ve had war for the past eight years. It’s never stopped. They just continue shooting in the east. I guess Ukrainians just got tired of being bullied.”

Like so many others, Andriishyn is frustrated that other nations like the U.S. can’t participate in this war because it could escalate into a worldwide conflict. But she wishes someone could give the country air support. Going to the rally was “at least something we could do so the world can hear us and see us. We’re so thankful for all who are helping in any way they can.”

The association has vetted organizations working to help with donations for the citizens of Ukraine. Here are some they trust:

Come back alive – https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/(works directly with the command and personnel of military units, purchasing infrared thermal imaging cameras, night vision goggles, hemostatics, etc.)

Army SOS – https://armysos.com.ua/pomoch-armii(manages purchases of necessary ammunition, shields, intercommunication and reconnaissance facilities, etc. and delivers all goods directly)

Hospitallers-https://www.facebook.com/hospitallers/posts/2953630548255167(works directly on the frontline)

Phoenix Wings – http://wings-phoenix.org.ua/en/about-fund/( the appropriate equipment and uniform, personal non-lethal protection (vests, helmets), required treatment of the wounded soldiers, and repair of the buildings used by the army)

Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement – https://www.uwvm.org.ua/?page_id=3437&lang=en(a consolidation of female veterans, amongst other things organizes preparation for actions in case of emergencies and defense situations.

Vostok SOS – https://vostok-sos.org/pidtrymaty/donation/(raising funds for various needs of the army)

There are more stories of Davis County residents who’ve come from Ukraine. We’ll share those each week in the Davis Journal. λ