Niece Of Peters Township Couple From Ukraine Forced To Flee Home Amid Russian Invasion
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Help and prayers are what a Ukrainian teen is asking for the people of her country.
Dasha Zhykharskaya, 17, is the niece of a Peters Township couple who's been talking to KDKA's Amy Wadas since Monday. She and her family fled Kyiv to find safety. Zhykharskaya spoke to KDKA-TV over FaceTime on Tuesday from the flat where her family fled to in Lviv, Ukraine.
She said it's scary not knowing what's going to happen to her country or if she'll ever return to Kyiv, the city she calls home.
"I don't want to leave my country. I do want to live here because I really do love Ukraine," said Zhykharskaya.
However, Zhykharskaya isn't so sure she will get to stay in Ukraine for the long term. She and her family are cooped up in a one-room flat near Poland's border. They fled Kyiv for their safety as Russian troops move in.
"I think it's way better than living and sleeping in bomb shelters, as my friends are sleeping in now," said Zhykharskaya. "We don't feel absolutely confident about our life now because we don't have enough resources, don't have enough money."
Zhykharskaya is the niece of a Peters Township couple who emigrated to the United States in 2014. KDKA talked with Zhykharskaya's aunt, Kateryna Zhykharska, on Monday and followed up with her on Tuesday.
Kateryna's parents and in-laws have been trapped in a Kyiv suburb. She said her parents' apartment building was captured by the Russian military on Monday and their cell phones were taken from them.
She said she has no way of knowing if they're OK.
"I'm in survival mode. It's awful," said Kateryna.
Kateryna said her sister, who also fled Kyiv for Lviv with her family, has been getting updates on their parents since she has access to a community chat. But she has heard nothing since Monday's capture, so Kateryna said her sister started reaching out to volunteer organizations in the Kyiv region for help.
"There are a couple of initiatives trying to provide food and water to the area but don't know if any of the initiatives were successful," said Kateryna.
It's a waiting game for Kateryna, who's hoping to hear something about her parents soon. As for her in-laws, she said she got an update that they're OK but still can't leave the area.
As for Dasha, she's holding out hope that she'll make it back to Kyiv someday.
"I'm scared, but you know, the hope lives in the deep of my soul," said Dasha.