Ukrainian refugee questions "what's next?" after fleeing from war
CHICAGO (CBS) – Millions of refugees have fled Ukraine -- some ending up in Chicago.
But now that they're here, some say they don't know how to find work.
CBS 2's Marissa Perlman reported from the newsroom with one woman's emotional story.
The terror of war is still real for Olga Ivchenko. She landed in Palatine just last month with her two small children. Friends helped her get here, but with no visa to work, she's just one of thousands who fled who have no plan for what's next.
Marissa: "It must be hard to see those photos. "That's your home?"
Olga: "Yes."
Inside her new Palatine apartment, Olga Ivchenko shares photos of her husband's childhood home just outside of Mariupol. The walls littered with bullets -- an entire side of the building just rubble.
On the garage, written with paint, is the Ukrainian word for 'people'.
"They write on the doors "people" it means people inside, don't shoot save our lives," Ivchenko said.
But Olga says Russian soldiers attacked anyway -- her family escaped safely.
"It doesn't matter, Russian soldiers -- they shoot," she said.
And after spending two weeks getting to the polish border, Olga and her two sons, Daniil, 7, and Leon, 2, landed in Chicago in March with just one bag to their name.
"We are far from Russian aggression, and we can save our lives."
Olga's husband, Alex, is volunteering with the army and can't leave.
"Alex kissed us, said goodbye and we left Ukraine."
Friends in Chicago helped rent this apartment and offers to help have been flooding in over social media.
"Local volunteers helped us with toys food and with furniture for our apartment."
After weeks on the run, Olga says she finally feels safe -- they have food and drink, and the boys have toys to play with.
"This is my favorite toys, snake and mickey mouse," Daniil said.
But at night, Olga worries.
"My boys every day ask about their father."
Here on a visitor's visa with no way to work, she doesn't know what's next.
"I don't know what we will do. It's very hard," she said.
For now, she's grateful she and her boys are safe.
"I want people to live in peace no war and I want American people to pray for Ukraine," Ivchenko said.
Olga says even if she were to find work, childcare would still be an issue.
She has been able to communicate with her husband who is stationed in Kyiv and knows he's okay. But other family members outside of the capital city, they haven't been able to communicate with for weeks.
