Ukrainians in Atlanta concerned for relatives caught in war

For Iryna Valles, a Ukrainian immigrant who settled in the Atlanta area nine years ago, reports of Russian troop movements around her homeland had been a source of anxiety for months.

When Russian forces launched their nocturnal, full-scale attack on the Ukrainian territory Thursday, Valles set alarms on her phone throughout the night in Atlanta to stay up to date with the latest developments. Ukraine is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

Valles said that like most Ukrainian expats she knows across metro Atlanta, her concern level is sky-high.

“People are panicking,” she said.

Immigrants like Valles have spent several months taut with worry, leading up to the launch of what President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia described Thursday as a “special military operation.” Russian soldiers and weapons began massing near Ukraine’s borders last fall. On Friday, U.S. authorities had warned that up to 190,000 Russian troops were stationed around Ukraine, noting it was “the most significant military mobilization in Europe since the Second World War.”

Early Thursday, Russia began air and missile attacks and ground forces moved in from multiple directions. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cut diplomatic ties with Moscow and declared martial law, urging residents to shelter inside their homes. Video captured residents jamming highways and train stations hoping to flee.

“Each of us is horrified,” said Nataliia Onyskiv, head of the Georgia branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, a nonprofit organization that promotes Ukrainian culture. “We all have families there. They share their fear with us. They told us how they woke up to the sound of explosions.”

She added: “There was a big hope that this day wouldn’t come. That was the vibe among Ukrainians … It just can’t be true, right? It’s the 21st century. This is like a horror movie.”

Back in 1998, Reverend Bogdan Maruszak founded a church north of Atlanta to cater to the region’s Ukrainian immigrant community. Currently located in Cumming, the St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church welcomes about 50 people every week for Sunday service.

Rev. Maruszak says this coming service, the first since the launch of full-scale assault, will likely be an emotional one.

“It’s going to be a somber and difficult service for us,” he said. “We’ll talk about [Russia’s attack] and we will see what we can do as a community to help … whether it’s sending packages or collecting funds. It’s hard for me to predict what is going to happen this Sunday, but I sure hope for the people to come and pray together. That will be a good beginning.”

Atlanta immigrants fear for family back home

In the run-up to the invasion, Valles had unsuccessfully urged her family members to leave their hometown of Chernigov and seek temporary shelter in Poland. Chernigov, a city of nearly 300,000 people, lies just 50 miles away from Ukraine’s northern border with Belarus, where Russian troops had also started to gather this year.

“I know a lot of people here trying to get their families out of Ukraine and their families just refuse, and they’re saying that ‘We’re going to die on our land. We’re going to fight,’” Valles said. “My dad is 67. He wants to go fight.”

“So yeah, we worry a lot,” she added. In normal times, Valles checked in with her family once a day. “Now it’s more like 10 times a day, with every new news that comes.”

Vitaliy Pynzenyk, 41, is a Ukrainian immigrant and a resident of Milton in north Fulton County, having settled in Georgia in 2006. Aside from concern, anger, and fear, he says many of his Ukrainian acquaintances in Atlanta are struggling with a feeling of helplessness.

Ahead of Thursday’s attack, Pynzenyk had advised some of his wife Anna’s relatives, who live close to the airport in Kyiv, the country’s capital, to stockpile non-perishable foods. He says they have also tried to clear basement spaces in their homes, to use them as bunkers in the event of aerial raids. Meanwhile, Pynzenyk’s sister who also lives in Kyiv has left the city with her two school aged children and joined family based 400 miles away, in the western part of the country.

“I think every parent would do that,” he said. People in Ukraine “need to be prepared because it’s hard to predict what the next step will be.”

War back home has inspired political activism here in Atlanta.

Earlier this month, a group of Ukrainian and Ukrainian Americans rallied in downtown Atlanta to call out Russian aggression. A “#StandWithUkraine Rally” will also be taking place Saturday near Centennial Olympic Park.

“When things like this happen, people tend to get united,” Pynzenyk said.

The magnitude of events back in Ukraine has also pushed the Milton resident to address the topic of war with his two kindergarten-aged children.

“Now, when they look at a world map, they find Russia and they say it’s bad.”

In this trying time, Onyskiv says she has been moved by the show of support she has received from outside the Ukrainian community in Atlanta.

“From my personal experience, it means a lot,” she said. “If you know a Ukrainian, make sure to tell them your heart is with them.”

Ukrainians in the U.S. and Georgia

Population estimates for people of Ukrainian descent from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (data released in 2020):

Georgia cities with the highest number of people of Ukrainian ancestry

What they are saying on Twitter

President Joe Biden: “The prayers of the world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces. President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.”

Gov. Brian Kemp: “As Putin and the Russian army violate Ukraine’s sovereignty through this callous, indefensible invasion, we stand with our allies and condemn this aggression of tyrants. We are praying for a quick, just end to this conflict, the safety of Ukraine’s citizens, & the defeat of democracy’s enemies. We are also mindful of how this could impact the brave men and women of our military, including Georgia servicemembers who are on heightened alert.”

Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams: “Russia’s invasion is a tragic reminder of the danger tyrants pose to those who cherish democracy. Once again brave Georgians have been called upon to protect and defend freedom. They represent the best of us, and we hold them, their families + the Ukrainian people in our prayers.”

AJC data specialist Jennifer Peebles contributed to this report.

Lautaro Grinspan is a Report for America corps member covering metro Atlanta’s immigrant communities.