JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Ukrainian family is watching the devastation in their country from across the world, right here in Jacksonville.
Olga Galushchak, along with her four-year-old son and her 11-year-old daughter, fled Ukraine about a month ago. Galushchak's husband is of fighting age, and was ordered to stay behind and help the military.
"It is not an easy decision to take your kids and leave your country, to leave your family, to leave your husband and your home," Galushchak said through tears.
Her husband's former classmate now lives in Jacksonville offered to help the family, setting them up in a home and with donations.
“People here are very kind, they are ready to help with anything. They just ask me, 'maybe there is something that you need. I just want to be useful. I want to help,' and this shocks me in a positive meaning," she said.
“I would like also to thank you people of the U.S. for their support because it’s really great, the support, to thank for their prayers, and just to ask keep praying for us," Galushchak said.
Their journey to Jacksonville took six days. They traveled through Romania and Amsterdam.
"We were packing in a rush, I didn't know how we would get to Romania," Galushchak said.
Galushchak said she and her entire family already had visas because before the war, they had planned to come on vacation in Jacksonville.
"I was afraid of this decision and I thought that we would stay because we really believed that the Western Ukraine [where they're from] is safe. We didn’t expect that Russians would kill civilians," she said.
"We were sure that they would kill our soldiers. We understood that, but that they would kill innocent people, kids, pregnant women just because of nothing, we couldn’t imagine. Even beasts are not so cruel," Galushchak said.
She said right now, she's not sure how long they'll be in Jacksonville. It all depends on the war, she said. Galushchak said she's concerned for her husband and other family back home.
“They bombed the city by where my family and where my husband is, so how can I plan at all," she said.
"There's no safe place in Ukraine because Russians are bombing all of the cities, all of the cities," Galushchak said.
Galushchak spends her time making Ukrainian style jewelry, and selling it on Etsy, trying to support her family in any way she can.
Galushchak said she's incredibly grateful for all the support, but can't wait for the day they can return home. She said she tries not to watch the news because she's struggling to answer her children's questions about what's happening.
"He [her four-year-old son] is asking, 'why are the buildings destroyed? Why are the kids crying? Look, those people are not alive,'" she said. "I told him, 'no they are just sleeping.' 'No, they are not alive. Why," Galushchak said.
"He asks me, 'why are they crying?' I answered, 'they lost their parents and they have no mom and no dad anymore,' and he asks me why," she said. "I try not to watch the news here because he watches and he makes conclusions."
Galushchak said her daughter, Viktoria, is still enrolled in her school in Ukraine, and is taking classes online, but it's difficult for her to keep up due to the time difference. Viktoria wants to enroll in school in Jacksonville, she said.
“I miss home very much, but I know that we can't come back because the danger is there," Viktoria Galushchak said. "I miss my dad, my grandparents and my friends and they miss me too and my friends ask me every day when I will come back because they miss me and I don’t know what to say to them," she said.
Viktoria asked to share this message.
“I know that we will win and come back soon," Viktoria said.
Galushchak also has a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Humans don’t behave in this way. Humans care about animals, about plants, and about people, and every life is precious and you have no right to take anybody’s life away because you want this,” she said.
As far as her jewelry, Galushchak said she took some of her supplies with her from Ukraine, but not all of them. Her family is shipping the remainder.