Ukraine

‘Overwhelming Feeling of Hopelessness': SoCal Woman Fears for Family in War-Torn Ukraine

Anastasiya Belska says her father re-enlisted to help fight for Ukraine in what is called the territorial defense.

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Anastasiya Belska is focusing on her mind on her job as an accounting clerk.

But she admits her heart is thousands of miles away.

"Just overwhelming feeling of hopelessness," she said. "It's the end of the world, everything goes dark."

Most of her family members are back in her battled-torn home country of Ukriane, including her father Sergiy, a Judo teacher.

She says communicating with him is difficult.

"Very infrequent and very unstable, so whenever he has a chance he would text me," she said. "As long as he puts a little heart next to my message, I know he's alive."

She says her 55-year-old father has past military experience so he re-enlisted to help fight for Ukraine in what is called the territorial defense.

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She says Russia has a long history of violence against her people.

"Starting from Imperial Russia and ending with Soviet Union, nothing have been brought to Ukraine but bloodshed and death."

And once again more bloodshed.

She says Americans need to understand how desperate the situation is.

"There's an interesting term in Russian, which means quartering, essentially means to kill every fourth person."

She is doing everything she can to help her family in Ukraine, sending them money and also volunteering with an organization called Stand With Ukraine LA, which is gathering medical supplies.

She hopes one day this brutal war will finally be over.

"I know that after the war, I'll go and see my dad, I'll reunite with my family everyday no matter what. That's what we are looking forward to."

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