WeHo's Large Russian And Ukrainian Population Closely Following Invasion

WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) - Southern California is home to a large Russian community, though many people might not realize that West Hollywood claims more Russian speakers than any US city outside of New York.

In the 1970's, the city offered a fresh start for Jews fleeing the former Soviet Union from religious oppression after World War II.

"I grew up here. I know every corner," said restaurant owner Oleg Atroshenko.

Atroshenko owns Truck-tear, a Russian restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard. HIs family moved here when was a child.

"Before, it used to be...like, right, all the stores were in Russian and restaurants were here," he said.

All over this tiny city, Russian is written on the walls and spoken in the stores, so what's happening in Ukraine is on the hearts of many.

"It's tough to see, really. I'm hoping cooler heads will prevail in the end," Dmitriy Shukan, a Ukrainian National, said.

According to a documentary produced by the City of West Hollywood a few years ago, its population was 20% Soviet immigrants when it was founded in 1984.

"West Hollywood became a magnet for those fleeing the Soviet Union," said Zev Yaroslavsky.

Yaroslavsky teaches history at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"You had the very liberal progressive gay and lesbian community in WeHo. Then you had the Russian community, but over time, they became partners and it's a beautiful history they have in West Hollywood," he told CBSLA.

Although many in this community have spent the last few days checking on loved ones in Ukraine, they are also hopeful for peace and thankful to have found a new country to call home.

"Everybody wants the same thing, something on the table to eat, kids to grow and the weather to be good. That's it" Shukan said.

Though West Hollywood started with a much larger population of people from the former Soviet Union, those numbers have dwindled over the years as residents fanned out to the Valley and other places, but there is still a very large Russian community in Los Angeles County with ties to that part of the world.