Palm Coast, FL – While Ukraine may be marking their 31st Independence Day under threat from the head of the former Soviet Union on Wednesday, the world is not turning a blind eye to their plight as they remain under siege from Russia.
Refugees are making their voices heard around the globe with presentations like the one in Palm Coast two weeks ago by Lora Pavlenko the past President of the Kiwanis Club of Kiev, and her daughter attorney Renata Chorna.
Traveling between Switzerland where they are helping organize supplies for Ukrainian refugees and Dallas, Texas where they have refuge alongside 30,000 other Ukrainian women and children, the women shared their heartbreaking stories with the Flagler Palm Coast Kiwanis Club and other Kiwanis Clubs from the region.
“They bombed not only military bases but apartment buildings, schools, hospitals. They bombed everything,” translated Chorna.
“From this day in our country we had the war. Russian soldiers, they killed innocent people, children, women, older people. They kill people for fun. They just play games with women. They rape them, they kill the children. This is real story. It’s not from internet or TV. We know a lot of the people. In one of the pictures, my mom’s friend he lay in road, killed by Russian soldiers. When Russian soldiers came, first they destroyed our food storage. A lot of people tried to hide because the Russian soldiers bombed Kiev so bad they lived in the basement like we were. This is what our life was like.”
Sharing another story when bombing slowed and people began to return to the city, the bombing resumed and another of Pavlenko’s friends lost both of her legs and a hand.
“This is a real story. This is what’s happened to people who wanted to come back to Ukraine,” said Chorna.
“Another story because my mom work with women to support them, to help them, give some hope, a lot of women call her every day. One man, he called her from Ukraine to pray for his wife because they lost a child. Killed by Russian soldiers. My mom, she talked with her for about two weeks, told everything would be ok, supportive words. After two weeks her husband called and say she killed herself because she could not live without her child.”
Leaving behind their homes, Chorna’s apartment she shares with her 11-year old daughter was destroyed by rocket fire, the women also left behind something even more valuable, Pavlenko’s husband, who is now leading the Kiwanis Club of Kiev.
Men, aged 16 to 60 were required to stay and defend their country and Pavlenko said he is now working to help organize the volunteer efforts caring for and ministering to those who have stayed behind.
“We are proud of him because he’s doing a great job,” said Chorna, who says people are still being led by disinformation about what’s happening.
“The Russian soldiers told everyone they want to help Ukraine, save Ukraine and kill Nazis, but we don’t have Nazis in Ukraine. Russians came just because they want to have a piece of our country, destroyed our people and maybe they want to get the Soviet Union like it was before they were divided,” said Chorna.
“A lot of people now lost houses, lost apartments, lost children, lost husbands, lost parents. It’s about 12 million people who’ve left Ukraine and live in different countries. For us it’s very important people need to know what’s happened in our country.”
“The Russians stole our life,” she said.
Offering donations from the Kiwanis Clubs of Flagler Palm Coast, the Palm Coast Club and the Seabreeze Club of Daytona, the funds will work through a charitable organization directly supporting the Ukrainian efforts.
Listening to the stories and viewing the horrific photos of dead lying in the streets, Mike McElroy, President of the Kiwanis Club of Flagler Palm Coast, felt the donations were the least they could do to help.
“I would emphasize you can only imagine if this were happening in our country to your family and friends, how bad you would feel,” said McElroy.
