Russian-Ukrainian War Hits Home for Many Students
Over 8 million Ukrainians have fled the country since the war began. Those refugees include Midwood students and their families. Art: Sasha Smolansky
By SASHA L. SMOLANSKY
Despite being an ocean away, the war in Ukraine is ravaging the lives of Ukrainian-American students and refugees, of which the Midwood community has many. They are witnessing their homeland being burned on the news and fear for the lives of their loved ones as the war persists into its second year of bloodshed.
“It's not even a war for land at this point, it's just criminal,” said Ukrainian student Nataliya Shalay ‘24.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded the country, inciting a dramatic escalation of a conflict that heightened after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. “I’ve experienced some of this war, beginning in 2014,” said Oleksandra Babeshko ‘24. “Being a first grader, watching tanks drive past your windows as often as regular cars is not normal.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has challenged Ukraine's right to statehood, claiming that Ukraine threatens the ethnic Russian minority living there. Russia has argued that since Ukraine is historically Russian land, the two countries’ shared history makes them one nation.
“A lot of [these] claims come from the idea that Russia has always owned Ukraine,” said Ren Dzyuba ‘24. “But the fact is that Russia actually sprouted from Ukraine.” Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, was the center of the old Russian empire about 1,000 years ago. The two share a history, but things have dramatically changed since the end of the Cold War.
“They need to be recognized as two separate states and cultures that are not connected,” said Diana Deshko ‘25.
“When people say ‘Oh, you’re Ukrainian, that must mean you’re Russian, it's clearly not true,” Shalay said, “and I take great offense in this, as many Ukrainians would.”
Emma Deblasio ‘24, another Ukrainian-American student, said, “It's upsetting when people continue to be oblivious, feeding themselves wrong information when we have so many truthful sources available.”
The Russian-Ukrainian war is far from the first atrocity Russia has subjected the Ukrainian people to. “During the Soviet Union, Russia took over Ukraine and tried to make them their own by changing their culture, language, and killing many,” said Elana Ulitskaya ‘24.
“Joseph Stalin, a former Russian dictator, artificially forced a famine on Ukraine, called the Holodomor, so even though Ukrainians would have been able to feed themselves, the food was robbed from them and millions died,” said Deblasio.
As the war approaches its second year of conflict, both sides seem to be holding strong, as do Ukrainian students.
“In everybody’s life there is an expected adversity that causes immense stress, and it's a part of your life that you’re definitely going to remember,” said Dzyuba. “I think the start of the war was that for me.”
This war has caused tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, instigating Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. About 8 million Ukrainians were displaced within their country by June, and over 8 million fled the country by February 2023. Those refugees include Midwood students and their families.
“My dad actually volunteered to fight in the war for Ukraine last March, and I was really worried; I had no idea what would happen,” Deshko said.
Babeshko recounted the times her home city has been bombed. She said that it is “absolutely heartbreaking” that her people must now “live in fear” surrounded by the echoes of “constant air sirens.”
Ellen Yagnich ‘24 said, “I know people who returned to their cities and found their homes in ruins, with everything they ever had just gone. Some have even faced Russian soldiers at gunpoint.”
“I’m scared that one day I’ll turn on the news and it’s going to be my city being bombed,” said Shalay.
Still, in the midst of the horror, Ukrainian students persist in finding light. “We stay optimistic because Ukranians know support is not only coming from us [the ex-pats] but from the whole world,” said Babeshko.
“This war makes me feel hopeful because after it ends, Ukraine will be more unified, and people will have more passion to rebuild their lives and country,” said Yagnich.
Dzyuba urged people to donate to the cause. “There's a foundation called Razom for Ukraine which organizes food drives and fundraisers to buy military equipment,” she said.
Deshko said, “I think because it's been a year now, people are starting to forget what is still going on in the world, so continue to spread information and please don’t forget or ignore the truth.”