Sacramento Ukrainian refugees reflect on year since Russian invasion
ORANGEVALE -- The Ukraine war entered the second year of Russia's invasion this week, a moment marked by Ukrainian immigrants and refugees in Sacramento County.
Saturday, hundreds gathered at Spring of Life Church in Orangevale for the weekly prayer and dinner. This week, it was different. It fell at the start of the second year of a war in Ukraine that's left parts of the country in ruins, one Ukrainian soldier in Sacramento for a short time told CBS13.
That soldier, Serg, described the frontlines of the war through a translator. In his uniform, he explained his job was to find air targets so Ukraine forces could shoot them down. Injured last September, he lost both of his legs in the war. He walks with prosthetics and said he will continue to fight in whatever capacity he's allowed to.
We asked Serg if he plans to go back to Ukraine and continue the fight. He replied with a smile, "Of course."
"The main thing is we can't lose motivation in this fight," a translator said, speaking in English for Serg.
A refugee who arrived in the U.S. in April alone said she had to start from scratch with everything.
"New environment, new people, new country. Like I said, it's everything from scratch," said Olga Bulda, a refugee who found a community at Spring of Life Church.
Bulda said a change this big, like escaping a war for the U.S., is an experience she doesn't have to navigate alone due to the support within the Sacramento Ukrainian community.
