Ukrainian soldiers are visiting Arizona to bring attention to the war still raging in their homeland.
Their journey is made possible by Cactus and Tryzub, a Phoenix-based group founded after the Russian invasion in 20-22. Tryzub is Ukrainian for “freedom” and appears on the country’s coat of arms.
Irene Amrine founded the local volunteer initiative made up of Ukrainian expats.
She hopes that bringing the soldiers all the way to Arizona will bring attention to their plight.
“We invited them to come out here and tell their stories and we want Arizonans to learn a little bit more about Ukraine from those who have been there and seen it all and learn about Ukraine from beyond the headlines,” Amrine said.
As a soldier in the early days of the war, Denys Haida witnessed the massacre at Bucha where hundreds of Ukrainian civilians, including children, were murdered.
Through a translator, Haida says he didn’t think human beings were capable of such atrocities.
“When I entered there, I saw people on the ground, civilians on the ground and Russian forces would not allow the civilians to be buried, so they would have to rot on the street. They raped children and women of all ages and then killed (them),” Haida recalled.
Mykola Melnyk is a retired lieutenant in Ukraine’s Armed Forces who lost both legs in combat. In broken but steady English, Melnyk says he isn’t concerned about the Trump administration’s shift away from supporting his country’s efforts to beat back Russian aggression.
“I don’t know what Mr. Trump knows about Ukraine, but I know Ukrainian soldiers. We are like old, ugly dogs. Maybe we (don’t) have legs, maybe we (don’t) have eyes, but we will never surrender. Russia can kill us, but never win.”
After meeting with the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations on April 30, the soldiers spoke at ASU on Monday as guests of the school’s Future Security Initiative.
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