LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — As the war in Ukraine rages on, its people are still determined to defend their country. So said Andrij Dobriansky, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.
"The morale is still pretty high in Ukraine in terms of being ready to take the fight to Russia and not give up their hometown," Dobriansky said. "A lot of people in this country watching the news are like, 'well, why don't you just leave.' I would first refer to my American friends saying, 'if a tank rolled up in your hometown and told you to leave, what would your American spirit tell you to tell that person to do?'"
Groups in northeastern Pennsylvania continue collecting donations for Ukrainian troops and citizens, but getting supplies into the country has been slow and difficult.
Organizations in Poland and in Ukrainian cities are often forced to make the deliveries one car-load at a time.
"That means bandages, baby diapers, etc. Emergency supplies are being taken in. However, it's less than we would like, especially compared to what the United States was sending," Dobriansky said. "Ninety-tons per day, they were flying into the airports, but that's not possible right now. Right now, it's a lot of volunteers, a lot of brave people."
United Nations reported more than a million people fled to the Polish border, some waiting more than a week to be processed as refugees.
Dobriansky said Ukrainians who were in the United States when Russia invaded are now refugees too.
"They do not have the means to have shelter here, nor do they have the means to get employment in this country," he said. "So the United States needs to ramp up the ability to accept them as temporary protected status, first and foremost."
Late Thursday, that happened. Ukrainian refugees were granted legal status in the U.S. for 18 months, though many hope Russia's invasion of Ukraine does not last that long.
"If in fact [the Russians] plan to go block by block into as large a city as Kyiv, this is going to be a very long fight, indeed," Dobriansky said.
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