Ukraine under attack as Russian troops advance into Kyiv

As Ukrainians flee their country, Prosper residents share feelings

Kalyani Rao, Assistant Opinion Editor|March 3, 2022

In Fort Worth, Texas, protesters stand against the Russia-Ukraine war. With a sign that reads No War - Glory to Ukraine, Ukrainian mother Elizaveta Gryshchenko, mother of freshman Sofia Ayala, stands tall. I am so heartbroken to see all of these people go through this tragedy. My country and my family suffering, Gryshchenko said. I can’t imagine how all of these innocent children and people have to go through this.

Photo Courtesy of Elizaveta Gryschenko

In Fort Worth, Texas, protesters stand against the Russia-Ukraine war. With a sign that reads “No War – Glory to Ukraine,” Ukrainian mother Elizaveta Gryshchenko, mother of freshman Sofia Ayala, stands tall. “I am so heartbroken to see all of these people go through this tragedy. My country and my family suffering,” Gryshchenko said. “I can’t imagine how all of these innocent children and people have to go through this.”

The Ukrainian war has affected people all over the globe with ties to Ukraine – including Prosper residents.

On Feb. 24, Russia officially started its attack on the capital city Kyiv of Ukraine, with a population of 3 million, as residents suffer injuries and death from air raids and violence in the city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 137 civilians and military personnel had been killed in the country on the first day of the Russian invasion. He called them “heroes” in a video address on Thursday, Feb. 24. An announcement from Ukraine’s emergency service lists the civilian death toll as over 2,000.

“Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighbourhoods. Saboteurs have already entered Kyiv,” said mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, in a public address. “The enemy wants to put the capital on its knees and destroy us.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered wide-range attacks on Ukraine on Thursday, Feb. 24 hitting multiple cities and bases with air strikes or shelling.

Explosions and gunfire were reported in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Chernihiv and Melitopol, as well as at Hostomel. Kherson has become the first major city to be completely overtaken by Russian forces.

“I know that they [the Russian state] won’t show my address on Russian TV, but Russian people have to see it,” Zelenskyy said in his address. “They need to know the truth, and the truth is that it is time to stop now, before it is too late. And if the Russian leaders don’t want to sit with us behind the table for the sake of peace, maybe they will sit behind the table with you.”

Explosions in Kyiv were described by the besieged government as “horrific rocket strikes.” The second day of an invasion displaced more than 100,000 people, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Ukrainian police said on Thursday, Feb. 24 that Russia carried out 203 attacks that day.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces are targeting Ukrainian military facilities and infrastructure. Russian forces have also taken control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which drew concern from international powers.

According to the UN, nearly 836,000 people have fled Ukraine since the conflict began. On Wednesday, Feb. 23, 141 member states in the UN General Assembly voted in favor of condemning Russia’s actions. According to the New York Times, the EU has announced a ban against seven Russian banks and sanctions against Belarus for supporting Russia.

Art teacher Keith Grissom has spent many years going back and forth from the U.S. and Ukraine. Originally planning only to spend six months in the country on a mission trip, Grissom formed a deep attachment to the people that resided there.

“As a stranger in a foreign land, I did not yet speak the language well,” Grisson said. “However, in the days that followed (my arrival), the people of Ukraine loved on me. They cared for me and embraced me as one of their own. In fact, when I returned to Ukraine, it was always like I was visiting family. Ukraine became my home away from home.”

Art teacher Keith Grissom talks to his 8th period AP Art History class. Wearing a Ukraine shirt, Grissom argues that Ukraine will win against Russia. “Putin’s naked aggression against Ukraine must be met with strength from those who love freedom,” Grissom said. “Men of honor do not stand by and watch the weak be pummeled and do nothing.”(Kalyani Rao)

Grissom wrote a letter to President Biden, on Facebook, receiving over 170 likes and 60 shares. In it, he describes the urgency he feels that the U.S. do something to aid Ukraine.

“Putin’s naked aggression against Ukraine must be met with strength from those who love freedom,” Grissom said. “Men of honor do not stand by and watch the weak be pummeled and do nothing.”

Grissom speaks highly of the people he met, and he said he was blessed to be able to interact with youth in the city of Zhytomyr, where he lived for the first six months in Ukraine.

“Ukrainians are very steadfast and loyal to their country,” Grisson said. “There’s a whole generation that was raised in communism. Once, an older Ukrainian told me that they would rather die than go back to living under a regime like that.”

Against all odds, Grissom said he has confidence in the resolve of the Ukrainian people, saying that they are “stronger than they seem.”

“People are going to resist, and people are going to fight,” Grissom said. “Old people, young people, men, women – everyone.”

Elizaveta Gryshchenko, Ukrainian citizen and mother to freshman Sofia Ayala, said she fears for her family members that are in Kyiv.

“People are terrified by the sirens that are going on and off multiple times a day,” Gryshchenko said. “They are sheltering underground with little kids and people of all ages. They have no food, water, access to grocery stores, airports. They are all closed or destroyed.”

To bring attention to the news from Ukraine, Elizaveta Gryshchenko walks in a crowd of protesters in Fort Worth, Texas. Those against the invasion by Russia into Ukraine have gathered to protest. “People are terrified by the sirens that are going on and off multiple times a day,” Gryshchenko said. “They are sheltering underground with little kids and people of all ages. They have no food, water, access to grocery stores, airports. They are all closed or destroyed.” (Photo Courtesy of Elizaveta Gryshchenko)

According to Gryshchenko, who is staying in touch with her mother there, the damage from Russian attacks is costing lives already in this country, which is the home to 44 million people.

“My mom can’t travel because nobody can leave or enter the city,” Gryshchenko said. “She is alone in Kyiv, and she needs help. Some cities have no electricity and no access to any type of transportation.”

Ukrainian citizens are currently evacuating to Poland, and the trip is said to be dangerous. But, it is the only option for many.

“I am so heartbroken to see all of these people go through this tragedy. My country and my family suffering,” Gryshchenko said. “I can’t imagine how all of these innocent children and people have to go through this.”