CINCINNATI — Natalia Cristo’s mother and stepfather usually come to visit over the Christmas holidays.
This year they came for Thanksgiving and were supposed to return home to Kharkiv, Ukraine on Feb. 19.
But as Russia was amassing its military on the border threatening to invade, Cristo convinced them to stay longer.
“I was calling to all of my relatives and friends and no one was believing it,” she said.
Now her mother, Svitlana Starova, and her stepfather, Ivan Shevchenko, can’t return to their city where hundreds of thousands have already fled Russian shelling.
“We cannot believe that Russia is attacking Ukraine,” Starova said as her daughter translated. “We were one people and brothers, sisters, relatives. Now they started war.”
Thankfully, the family has been able to stay in touch with some of their loved ones in Ukraine.
Because the connection was good, they video chatted with Cristo’s aunt for several minutes during our interview.
She had fled Kharkiv and gave the family an emotional update from the safety of western Ukraine.
“Western Ukraine is at least not being bombed and it’s safe right now,” Cristo said.
Seemingly every minute of the day they are glued to social media and to television news reports for the latest information.
“Every day is worse and worse and more and more destruction,” Cristo said. “My city of Kharkiv is getting the most.”
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is less than 19 miles from the Russian border with most of the population Russian speaking.
That’s why it’s so difficult for them to listen to President Vladimir Putin’s propaganda.
“It’s more than disinformation, it’s just flat-out lies, it’s like North Korea supersized,” Cristo said.
The family all blames Putin for spreading misery.
“My hand wouldn’t shake to shoot him myself,” Shevchenko said.
Now 67, Shevchenko wouldn’t be required to defend Ukraine, but age wouldn’t stop him.
“Yes, I would go and fight,” he said.
Shevchenko already knows how to shoot from serving two years in the army.
But so far from family, so far from home, he realizes that his duty now, as electronic billboards in the area have been advertising, is to stand united with Ukraine.
“Glory to Ukraine,” Shevchenko declared.
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