West Haven Resident Welcomes Ukrainian Refugee Family: Reports

WEST HAVEN, CT — A West Haven woman has begun hosting a Ukrainian family who fled their hometown of Kharkiv at the start of the Russian invasion, multiple news outlets reported.

Kristina and Yevgeniy Bizyayev and their three sons — Daniel, 6; Adam, 4; and Leo, 1 — spent almost two months bouncing between refugee camps in Europe, CT Public reported.

Now, they're living with Gaye Hyre, a West Haven resident who volunteered to host a family through UkraineTakeShelter.com, according to CT Public.

Hyre had an empty bedroom since her daughter is in college, the New Haven Register reported.

The Bizyayev family arrived in town on Monday, and city hall staff greeted them with Zuppardi's pizza, cash, and toys for the kids, according to the New Haven Register.

The family is hoping to stay in the United States until at least September, and they plan to reunite soon with relatives who live in Boston and New York City, CT Public reported.

"We understand that it's not only one day, or even one month," Kristina Bizyayev told the New Haven Register. "It will take really, a big amount of time to stop this war."