Russia-Ukraine Crisis

Hartford Ukrainian National Home Offer Support for Ukraine Students

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Inside Connecticut, many Ukrainians are relying on each other and community support in the midst of the Russian invasion thousands of miles away.

Restless nights and eyes constantly glued to the news are some of the accounts from students studying inside the United States.

At the Hartford Ukrainian National Home, you could tell there were a lot of anxious and worrisome feelings about would could happen next in Ukraine after Russian troops invaded the country.

Yulia Kulchytska is from Ukraine and is a sophomore at Wesleyan University. She's holding onto memories and pictures with her family as chaos erupts around her homeland.

"It's heart-breaking to be 6,000 miles away from your country, when your friends and your family have to go through hard stuff," said Kulchytska. "I've been trying to calm myself down because doing this on my own is very hard and having a community here and knowing that there are some people who can relate to this problem is somewhat relaxing."

Alex Kuzma, (left), Yulia Kulchytska, student at Wesleyan University, Oleh Atamaniuk, student at Westminister School, and Oleksii Antoniuk, student at Yale University, all discuss the Russian-Ukraine Crisis at Hartford's Ukrainian National Home.

Oleh Atamaniuk, 18, is in the U.S. furthering his education at Westminister School in Simsbury. For students like Atamaniuk, being in a separate country can sometimes feel like you're on an island.

"It's been really stressful for the past two days and I've been paying close attention to what's been happening in Ukraine," said Atamaniuk. "There's just a lot of horrible news coming from Ukraine."

Atamaniuk tells NBC Connecticut that his family lives in the western part of the country and that section of the country has already been bombed by the Russian army.

"Civilians are dying and the Russians are attacking," said Atamaniuk. "They're attacking houses, they are attacking ambulances."

The Ukraine students said being in a comforting setting is comforting, knowing that some people understand your culture and what you're going through.

"This is just a way for me to feel like I am doing something and not just suffering," said Kulchytska. "It's not just about Ukraine, it's about the entire world and standing together against the Russian regime."

The Ukrainian National Home tells NBC Connecticut there's going to be a 'Unite for Ukraine' rally for the the community to offer their support at the State Capitol at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

There is going to be another opportunity for people to offer their support on Sunday at Hartford's Ukrainian National Home at 1 p.m.

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