MIAMI (CBSMiami) – South Florida residents with family members in Ukraine are holding demonstrations and speaking about the invasion, saying their loved ones are doing their best to survive.
Diana Khruslova of Hallandale Beach, told CBS4’s Peter D’Oench, “I have finally been able to reach my grandmothers, Maria, who is 70, and Tamara, who is 85. Maria was cooking to distract herself. They were hiding in a shelter and we initiated the call to reach Maria. She is trying. To stay positive, but I am very scared. It is very hard for them to get used to bombs falling all the time and sirens going off and having to hide all the time. They are scared but they are staying positive because they have faith in the Ukranian army. I am so worried. I want to hug them and hold them and I want to be near them.”
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Her grandmothers are in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city by the border with Russia where many are taking shelter in Metro stations.
Julia Lemesh, the President of the Ukraine Global Scholarship Foundation, said “This is something they don’t want to be invaded like this. My father-in-law does not want to leave. Why should he? He is doing his best to protect his country.”
Oksana Piaseckyj of Sunny Isles Beach, said, “My worry is that if they don’t stop Putin he will destroy so many wonderful lives and magnificent buildings as well. My family members there including cousins in western Ukraine are concerned about what is happening and they are afraid for their lives and what the bombing is doing.”
Her husband Peter Piasecky said, “We can not have a humanitarian disaster happening because of the bombing. We have 140 warthogs, anti-tank planes that have been in storage for some time here in this country. Let’s give them to Ukraine today and they could be there in 12 hours.”
Paul Galadza, the Deacon of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukranian Catholic Church, whose parents fled Ukraine in 1944, said “We are heartbroken to see all these people fleeing, brothers and sisters. There is that image of the father hugging his daughter before putting her on a train so he can stay behind to fight the Russians. Everyone’s predictions were wrong. It looks like Putin will not stop until he gets what he wants.”
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Galadza said his church in Miami would be holding a special service at 7 p.m. Friday and then two services Sunday morning and will be having a demonstration after that around noon.
