Scott Township Family Fears For Their Loved Ones In Ukraine
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Scott Township family is maintaining hope in a dark time for Ukraine.
Nataliya and Gergoriy Petrylo came to Pittsburgh from Ukraine 20 years ago, raised two daughters and opened the NATALIYA European Food Market in Greenfield four years ago.
The market serves authentic Russian and Ukrainian goods, from candy to breads to even cavaiar.
But inside the market, the family now watches the horror unfolding in Ukraine, fearing for their loved ones and their safety.
"It hurts that we can't do anything," Hrystyna Petrylo said. "Watching all the Ukrainian people, they are not giving up, and I don't think we should give up."
"Every night, one time or two times, sirens, noisy and people going to hide," Nataliya Petrylo, Hrystyna's mother, said.
Nataliya Petrylo's mother is 69 years old. She left her Ternopil apartment in Western Ukraine on Thursday to get to a safer place with a family friend.
"She's crying. She is asking how her grandkids are," Nataliya Petrylo said.
KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso: What are you saying to her?
Nataliya Petrylo: I told her, be with God. We pray. She told me she loves us. We really miss her.
"I love her and I miss her," Hrystyna Petrylo said.
Outside the market, a Ukrainian flag hangs in the window, along with a sign that reads, "Pray for Ukraine." A customer also dropped off flowers and a note that said, in part, "We are praying for peace and protection in Ukraine."
The family said their loved ones don't want to leave their homeland.
"She doesn't want to go anywhere," Nataliya Petrylo said. "She wants to stay in Ukraine because she is Ukrainian."
The family is asking for support. They also organized a rally on Sunday at Liberty Avenue.
"Stand for Ukraine, pray for us," Kateryna Petrylo said. "We need the help."
U.S. Census data from 2019 reported that there were around 11,600 people of Ukrainian heritage in Allegheny County and over 20,000 more in the surrounding areas.