"It's Just Heartbreaking": WI Ukrainian Community Shares Disbelief Amid Invasion

WISCONSIN — Wisconsin’s Ukrainian community said prayers, expressed shock and led a protest in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine.

On Friday, Russian forces appeared to move closer in on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Explosions and gunfire were reported in parts of the city as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continued to appeal for further help from the international community against Russia. Talks between Russia and Ukraine could be on the horizon, AP reported.

“People are so shocked about what’s happening, they don’t want to talk about it,” Nikolay Rogovsky, the owner of Russian Food and Gifts in Shorewood, told Patch. Rogovsky is from Odessa but serves customers from all over including Ukraine and Russia.

“I serve people. Not Ukrainian or Russian, but just people,” Rogovsky said. Conversations with his customers revealed many regulars being “shocked with what happened,” and those with relatives and friends on the other side of the world have reached out.

“We were hoping it wouldn’t start, but we’re hoping it will end soon with little injury, and we hope (the two countries) negotiate. Pray for Ukraine,” he said.

“Democracy Is A Precious Thing”: Protest Emerges On Milwaukee Overpass

On Friday morning, people came together in protest on the Maple Street Interstate 94 overpass on Milwaukee’s south side, reports show.

Joseph Spolowicz, the parish council vice president for St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Milwaukee, told Patch in a phone call that supporters from the Ukrainian community and others were gathered there to get the word out about what’s happening in Ukraine, and to show support for the country.

“It’s just heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, to see what's going on to our familes in Ukraine; that we’re so far away, helpless about being able to do anything to help them,” Spolowicz said.

“I want people in America to understand that, you know, everyone’s freedom is at jeopardy, democracy … democracy is a precious thing, and it’s so easy to lose it if we don’t band together against a dictator who just comes in and tries to take over,” Spolowicz said. “We need to work at this, band together.”

Spolowicz’s church holds services at its Milwaukee location in Ukrainian. On Thursday, the church held a Divine Liturgy for Ukraine. In the service, streamed over Facebook, parishioners could be heard singing hymns such as “Prayer for Ukraine,” a religious anthem by a Ukrainian composer.

“Protect our beloved Ukraine, Grant our people and country all your kindness and grace,” one translation of the hymn reads.

Solomiya Kavyuk, a member of the church who lives in Oak Creek, said, “If the people I love end up dying in this war in Ukraine, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to live with myself,” according to a CBS 58 report.

“I’m Tense Inside”: Community Shares Disbelief

Katerina Nadtochyy moved from Kyiv to Cedarburg in September 2021 and told Patch she had a mix of emotions and found it hard to sleep. “I try to be strong for the kids, but I’m tense inside,” she said.

News of the invasion still hasn’t registered for some members of Wisconsin’s Ukrainian community, as disbelief still spread across Facebook pages and phone conversations. Nadtochyy said it was like watching a movie or reading a book, but the reality is slowly settling in.

“We try to concentrate on what we can do, like posting real news and gathering together,” Nadtochyy said, adding she planned to attend a protest against the war on the weekend. “If there are more of us, people will listen.”

Nadtochyy said she and other Ukrainians tried not to show too much of their emotions to friends and family, for fear of scaring them. “You don’t want to show it all the way to your kids and family, you want to be someone they can rely on.”

“This morning I woke up, woke my kids up, made them breakfast and sent them to school,” Nadtochyy added. “I appreciated every second of this, because people in Ukraine don’t have it now. You don’t appreciate something until you lose it.”

Organizations Appeal For Aid

Organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund are appealing for help from around the globe, especially for children caught in the conflict. UNICEF said on its website it is positioning health, hygiene and education supplies near the communities closest to the fighting.

Critical water infrastructure and education facilities have already been damaged, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine M. Russel said in a statement Thursday.

"Unless the fighting subsides, tens of thousands of families could be displaced, dramatically escalating humanitarian needs,” Russel said.

UNICEF said it is also trucking in clean water, working with municipalities and seeking to support mobile child protection teams to provide psychosocial care. Donations to UNICEF can be made through its website.

The International Committee of the Red Cross will send teams to Ukraine to repair infrastructure, support medical facilities with equipment and give food and hygiene items to families. People can donate to the Red Cross with a single or monthly payment.

Reporting from The Associated Press was used in this article.