Daniel Figueroa IV
Representatives from the office of U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist spoke at the Epiphany of Our Lord Ukrainian Church in St. Pete Thursday to help Americans from Ukraine and those hoping to connect with friends and family fleeing the country.
Since the opening salvos of the now two-week-old Russian invasion of Ukraine, the church has been running a non-stop operation collecting first aid, food, hygiene and other items to be shipped first to Poland, then on to Ukraine.
“We are all Ukraine,” Linda Vessell said as she packed toothbrushes, mouthwash and dental floss into zip-close bags.
Vessell wore a blue t-shirt with a yellow state symbol of Volodymyr the Great, also known as the “tryzub,” the stylized trident that makes the Ukrainian coat of arms in the colors of the country’s flag. She’s not Ukrainian. Nor is Carol Cross. Cross stood beside Vessell. Her shirt also showed the colors of the Ukrainian flag, but was a blue shirt with a yellow peace symbol.
They gathered Thursday alongside Crist and his staff.
“Whatever it is, we can be that conduit — that connection between you, your family and the U.S. government — so that we can get them here and out of harm’s way as quickly as possible,” said Steven Cary, Crist’s district director.
Cary said Crist’s staffers are serving as liaisons between the government and those seeking help, especially refugees and those seeking protected status. He said the best thing to do is get a lawyer. People fleeing to nearby countries can find legal help at U.S. embassies.
Cary said family members, including in-laws, can apply for family visas. Non-U.S. citizens who make it to friendly countries like Poland or Moldova seeking refugee status need to do so immediately, Cary said. Anyone with questions can contact Crist’s office or the church.
One Ukrainian official has estimated that the Russian invasion has cost at least $100 billion in damages, though those numbers have not been independently verified. And as a largely citizen-led resistance in Ukraine holds off the Russian army, reports have surfaced of civilian neighborhoods and hospitals becoming targets of Russian missiles.
Elona Krasavtseva was born in Russia, but raised in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. As an adult, she moved back to Moscow and started a career as a singer. In 2014, Krasavtseva was almost arrested while protesting the Russian invasion of Crimea. That was when she had enough. She moved to the U.S. shortly after.
Krasavtseva said she was thankful to see Crist’s office help rescue people from Ukraine and appreciated Congress approving $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine. But as her family flees Kyiv to Poland or western Ukraine, anywhere they can find shelter, she said the violence needs to stop. The people of Ukraine, she said, just want to be able to go back home.
“What is crucial now is to protect the Ukrainian skies,” Krasavtseva said. “Is the office of Mr. Crist doing anything to protect the Ukrainians from missiles, from the super jets that are bombing the citizens of Ukraine? I want the United States Government to unite with Europe and the civilized world and find ways to protect the Ukrainian sky from Russian missiles and Russian jets. And to find ways to find (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his generals guilty of military crimes. Punish him.”
The western response to Putin’s invasion has been measured. Elvira Minnakhmetova said she understands the trepidation surrounding foreign military intervention. Minnakhmetova is now an American citizen. She’s been in the country for 12 years. But she was born in Kharkiv, the capital of Ukraine before it was moved to Kyiv in 1934. Minnakhmetova said Putin has shown that if he wants conflict, he’ll get it, regardless of how the west responds. She fears an emboldened Putin pushing past Ukraine. She said the west needs to respond before the world suffers.
“It’s not that Ukraine is in trouble and needs help,” she said. “Help yourself. Help the world.”
Epiphany of Our Lord Ukrainian Church is accepting donations through Friday. But EJ Otero, a retired Air Force colonel and founder of Course of Action, a nonprofit aiding the church, said the organization needs money to ship the goods.
“We’re looking at $30,000,” Otero said. “And that is low-balling it.”
Donations can be made to the Course of Action or church’s website.
One comment
Edward Lyle
March 13, 2022 at 3:57 pm
Meanwhile, at the southern border of the United States, the invasion of America continues unabated, and further, aided and abetted by the current administration. While DC R&D Swamp Rats bloviate and harrumph over the sovereignty of another country, they knowingly and willingly surrender our own.
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