Our First-Person Ukraine Report 

This is information from my friend and fellow Rotarian Joanna Prisiajniouk, President of Medicare Insurance Group, who is City Clerk of Prospect Heights and a good human! Prior to the invasion Joanna and I would chat about what we thought would happen as she still has family in Ukraine. When I called her the morning after the invasion to reach out, she had been up all night with her cousin on FB messenger experiencing this humanitarian devastation firsthand. Her Rotary Club – River Cities – is one of the Rotary ways to support outreach to Ukraine.

 

 

“My cousin lives close to the Polish border in Lyviv, Ukraine and also felt the immediate threat of war even though Kyiv is much further from her.

 

The first night of the invasion was met with sheer terror as we both heard the air raid sirens, missiles that fell in the outskirts of Kyiv miles away but were still heard by both of us as we were talking via Facebook messenger… [live] she wanted to let me know that it was true, the invasion occurred.

 

The panic in her voice and calling to her son to get the bags/documents they have prepared should Russia’s presumed attack occur was now hopelessly real. Her life suddenly went upside down as she cried hustling around her condo on the third floor getting ready to leave south to her brother’s house further away from the city.

 

She needed me to be on the phone. We were ever so close by voice as I talked her through to stay levelheaded and at the same time she needed someone to listen to her wails and tears of disbelief.

 

It was soon realized that leaving was impossible as traffic blocked the roads to a standstill. She was stuck. She opened all the windows just a crack as was advised so the glass could withstand breakage from missiles shaking the ground. We were on the phone for hours getting through that first night.

 

Over the last 10 days of the war she has bounced out of her condo repeatedly day and night to their designated bomb shelter and or basement with each air raid siren warning.

 

I waited on baited breathe to hear back from her when she needed to leave our call to run out. I was on the phone helping to keep her up also days and sometimes nights while she and other people in her 9^th floor building took turns to alert residents for new air sirens sleeping only 2-3 hours or less.

 

The feeling of terror decreased just a bit when the air sirens were silent a couple of days allowing much needed sleep until the nuclear plant was targeted. This terror and panic was back in indescribable hopelessness reminding all of Chernobyl.

 

Mass plans for evacuation were underway that night until reports were confirmed that no serious damage occurred. Sleep was restored again. This is horrible stress and despite that, her community is fiercely united and that is true across the entire nation where it’s possible to offer help and support.

 

Their resistance to the enemy is strong. In the waking hours my cousin joined several humanitarian efforts right away as a daily volunteer along with her son. This force is very organized as they are alerted where aid is required and organize to reach these locations safely by military escort. No one is at work, the kids are not in school. Humanitarian efforts include packing food packages onto trucks, preparing warm meals for the soldiers and refugees that grow by the numbers daily, to sewing camouflage material for the army’s tanks while sitting in bomb shelters. This is a typical day for her where the crisis is semi dire so far but constantly cautious.

 

Everyone moves quickly not wasting time to avert and slow the enemy. My cousin Marta is 62 years old and as manager of her condo building she was tasked to get to the top of the roof to erase target missile red “X” markings that were painted by pro Russian provocateurs (called titushkys) that are constant treasonous operators along with the Russian Spetsnaz that had infiltrated the country before the invasion.

 

Her legs she described to me were shaking as her and her son climbed the metal thin staircase steps leading to roof and back down again. She clearly was not in the best shape for this calling but no one makes excuses. Other fluorescent missile target markings were removed off buildings, trees and sidewalks that were found just before and after the invasion started. Ukrainian soldiers look for these provocateurs and the special Russian (Spetsnaz) during the curfew hours and arrest them or kill him. Marshall law was instituted on the first day of invasion with curfew hour staring at 8 PM …no alcohol is sold at this time. 

 

Other parts of the country far east (Kharkiv) and south of Lyviv near the Azov and Black seas are having a much bigger humanitarian crisis to include Kyiv. No major cities were captured and the smaller cities that were temporarily taken were restored back to Ukraine’s control by fierce creative resistance. A Ukrainian fighter jet pilot already nicknamed, “Ghost of Kyiv” downed 21 Russian fighter jets.  

 

Thanks much,

Joanna