Ukrainians in the United States have expressed despair for not being able to do anything to protect their loved ones from the violence brought by Russian President Vladimir Putin on their nation.
Ukrainians in the country are in frantic need of immigration lawyers in their desire to help loved ones get to the United States as soon as possible, Religion News reported. They are pleading for a more forceful intervention from world leaders as they resort to prayer that their family and relatives will survive the Russian invasion.
Pennsylvania-based St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church Pastor Rev. Myron Myronyuk said he was not able to sleep knowing his twin brother was fleeing Kyiv that the Russians first bombarded when the invasion started on Thursday.
Myronyuk disclosed his brother was forced to return to Kyiv since the roads were closed to traffic. He also shared that his in-laws experience difficulty getting basic necessities such as milk and bread. He said his only recourse he has was to pray for them.
"I say, 'We're praying for you, we wish you to be safe, go to a safe . We have to continue to pray and ask God for help. There's not much else we can do here," Myronyuk shared.
Hrystyna Klym, a volunteer for an organization in Chicago regularly sending donations to wounded soldiers in Ukraine such as money, magazines, and clothes, echoed Myronyuk's sense of helplessness for not being able to send help directly now due to the ongoing invasion.
"The worst part is we cannot help them any more. We would send money, but everything is closed," Klym said.
While an immigrant for 20 years named Radeva, highlighted worries that her family and relatives have no place to run and that she expects "a lot of people are going to die."
Immigration attorney Ekaterina Mouratova disclosed to Religion News that she has been similarly bombarded since Thursday but with calls from both Ukranians and Russians who wish to migrate to the United States due to the ongoing invasion.
She said Russians are worried they may get drafted and that their bank accounts will become frozen due to the Putin-led war. Mouratova directed callers to consider Poland as a more realistic venue to escape since there is no "legal mechanism to bring people here."
Mouratova explained that fleeing the war is not a legal ground for asylum in the United States. They could apply for refugee resettlement but that is limited to 125,000 people only this year, which takes a slow process due to American authorities tied up with Afghans' applications.
Immigration advocates have already urged President Joe Biden to grant a Temporary Protected Status to Ukraine as a reprieve for citizens already based in the U.S. While White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced on Friday the preparations the country has to accept refugees from Ukraine but did admit expectations that most will flee to neighboring countries and to Europe. Psaki also said the United States will not be sending troops to get Americans out of Ukraine.
"We are really working in close lockstep with our European counterparts about what the needs are and how to help, from our end, meet those needs. We--that certainly means an openness to accepting refugees from Ukraine but also making sure that all of these neighboring countries who are willing to welcome these refugees, you know, have our support in that effort," Psaki said.
Hundreds of Thousands of Ukrainians were reported to flee to Poland in panic over the Russian invasion. Long traffic have built up on roads leading to Poland for hours, forcing people to walk on foot. While others crammed train stations in massive crowds in a rush to leave Ukraine for their lives.
Meanwhile a group of Ukrainians have gathered at the Lafayette Park near the White House on Thursday to condemn Putin's invasion. There was also a group of 100 people who gathered in an overpass in Chicago singing the Ukrainian national anthem in a similar protest.
These groups exclude those who gathered in Manhattan's Time Square near the Russian Federation's United Nations mission on Thursday to demonstrate against Putin while waving the Ukrainian flag.
