South Florida Family Worries About Grandmothers Trapped In Ukraine
HALLANDALE (CBSMiami) - Clinging only to hope and an iPhone, a South Florida father and daughter feel helpless.
Andreii Khruslov tells CBS4 News, "It's very hard. I'm constantly trying to monitor the situation with the different resources, I'm constantly online right now."
Daughter Diana and her dad, Andreii, are watching a war unfold, in real time, nearly 6,000-miles away in Ukraine, their proud homeland.
Diana Khruslova explained, "I've got cousins, I've got my godfather, my siblings godparents, as well as my uncles, my aunts (all in Ukraine)."
Their entire extended family stuck in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second biggest city, bordering Russia, with Diana's two grandmothers front of mind.
"My grandmother who is 85 years old, she was a child of World War Two. So, when she was five years old she saw the bombing of the German airplanes. Now, she sees it with the Russian airplanes," said Diana.
Andreii explained, "The problem is she doesn't know what to do, where to go."
The grandmothers are not alone in their confusion. Many people are took cover on Thursday in Kharkiv's metro station with only their children, luggage and pets, stunned by the biggest assault by land, sea and air since World War Two.
"It's very sad that her life began with it and she's very old right now, so that's very distressing for me, as well as for my parents," said Diana.
With a piece of home literally attached to them, with daughter and dad both wearing traditional Ukrainiaian clothing known as vyshyvanka. Diana can't stop worrying about what could happen to her two grandmothers.
Diana added, "I'm most worried the invasion will escalate and it would be impossible for them to stay in their houses, that will have to leave their houses and go to shelters."
Dad Andreii tells us, if he was back home, he'd be doing the same thing so many other Ukrainian fathers are doing right now; leaving their beloved families behind to fight the Russians.
"I would go and protect my family. It's our country, it's our soil and there's no other choice."
Except, maybe, to hold on to that hope, as they continue to cling to their iPhone and each other.
"We're growing angrier, we're growing stronger, we're growing together and now we're prepared to do our best and defend our country," Diana concluded.