BYU-Idaho students from Ukraine, Russia worried for their families and the future

REXBURG — Three Brigham Young University-Idaho students are feeling the emotional effects of what is happening in their home countries of Ukraine and Russia. They are worried, scared and angry.

Artur Kharlamov and Elizabeth Oveshkova are students at BYU-Idaho and are both from Ukraine. They come from a small city called Poltava. They both grew up together and told EastIdahoNews.com that their parents and siblings still live in their home country.

“There is nowhere safe right now. There are war zones all around the whole country,” Kharlamov said. “I am definitely worried.”

Oveshkova said she is constantly thinking about her family and looks at the news on a daily basis. It’s what she and her friends talk about all the time.

“I talked to my mom and I heard for the first time my mom crying. That’s so scary to just get a message from your parents like, ‘We love you but we are scared that we might not see you again after this,’ Oveshkova said. “And every time when I just see any news or just any messages from my friends or siblings and relatives, it just breaks my heart every time.”

Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February, unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending in troops and tanks from three sides in an attack that has been widely condemned by countries around the globe.

Ukraine’s government pleaded for help as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee.

Russia’s invasion across Ukraine has forced at least 2 million refugees to flee the country.

“This idea that all of the people that I just love are in danger. I feel that I am already not safe just because they are not safe. That’s affecting more of my mental condition. I want to be with them but I want to be with them in a safe place,” Oveshkova said.

The Russian invasion has sparked a need for humanitarian aid. Food and supplies inside the country are becoming increasingly scarce. 

Oveshkova said her parents are buying whatever food they can get because it’s unclear if they’ll be able to get more.

“There are limited resources right now and the situation is getting worse and worse every day and you don’t know what to expect tomorrow,” she said.

President Vladimir Putin has mostly ignored global condemnation and cascading new sanctions since the war began. He has threatened any country trying to interfere with “consequences you have never seen.”

RELATED: Russia invades Ukraine on many fronts in ‘brutal act of war’

Kharlamov and Oveshkova’s friend, Pavel Voronin is from Russia. Voronin is a BYU-Idaho student too and told EastIdahoNews.com that he has not seen his mother in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and he is not sure when he will ever see her again due to the war.

“Our whole world has turned around. I am worried that I won’t be able to see my mother not because she is not safe but because I will not be able to go back,” Voronin said. “I hope I will be able to see her again. But this country (Russia) is not a country that I will ever be able to go back to with the current regime.”

Currently, most western counties — including the United States — are advising their population to stay away from Russia. The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs issued a travel alert warning citizens of the ongoing war and potential problems that might crop up in Russia. They said there is potential for harassment of U.S. citizens, limited flights into and out of the country and a limited ability of embassies to protect American citizens. The bureau advises any Americans inside the country to leave immediately.

Voronin explained he does not want to go back to his country while Putin is in power.

“This isn’t Russia’s war. This is Putin’s war. We were never asked. We never voted. We were never offered a choice. We were lied into the war, deceived,” Voronin said.

Voronin said mostly he’s just angry at the entire situation.

“Mostly it’s just anger (that I feel) that this was allowed to happen and confusion because we don’t know why. We don’t know what end goal there is. … This isn’t something that anyone could have predicted,” Voronin said. “My worry is how long is this going to take? How many lives is it going to take and how many people are going to suffer?”

Voronin said he has friends in Ukraine and that he has received messages from them. They have told him they are trying to escape and help their families.

“People need money to buy supplies and to escape. They need all the help they can get,” he said.

Oveshkova said she wants to spread the word and get more people to talk about what’s happening in Ukraine because her country needs resources.

“I have a lot of text messages from different people from around the world saying, ‘I hope you are doing good’ or ‘Let us know if we can do anything for you,'” Oveshkova said. “I am just tired of all of this because I don’t need any help. My country needs help. People over there need help. I don’t need anything.”

Kharlamov shared with EastIdahoNews.com how people can help.

He explained the National Bank of Ukraine posted an opportunity on how people can donate straight to the government bank account to help the army and people. Click here to learn more.

“It’s about helping those in need right now,” said Oveshkova.