Ukrainian Student Studying at San Jose State Fearful for Her Family
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- As the Russian attack against Ukraine intensifies, some are calling for the Biden administration to grant Ukrainian citizens working or studying in the U.S. temporary protected status.
Valeriia Karnaukhova is a Ukrainian citizen, studying for a masters degree at San Jose State University. But her studies have been interrupted by war.
She now fears for the safety of her grandparents, cousins and friends in and around Kyiv who are all under Russian attack.
"It's a very hard time. Very hard days for all of them, [and] for me as well. I am physically here, but my heart is with them. We are talking all the time, 24-7," Karnaukhova said.
She is mostly communicating through text messages on her phone. She says her relatives are taking shelter in the subways, but they can't sleep because of all the shelling.
"They are hearing the bombs, the bombardments, and it is very scary," Karnaukhova explained.
"There's no way to describe how scary it really is," agreed Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee.
As a Navy Reservist, Lee deployed to Iraq in 2009 and survived the same kind of artillery attacks Ukrainians are experiencing now.
"When you hear it coming in really loud, you know you are in the kill zone," Lee said. "There's no way to escape, so you ask yourself, is this your unlucky day?"
Lee joined with Ukrainians in denouncing the invasion.
"This kind of raw, barbaric act is something we need to condemn," he said.
Valeriia is thankful to America for supporting her country and said Ukrainians will need even more as they continue to fight for their own country.
"The Ukrainian spirit is hard to break. We are a strong nation. We want peace, we don't want this war," she said.