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Ukrainian-born Montgomery County couple traveling to homeland to join fight against Russia
A Ukraine-born Montgomery County couple is heading to Ukraine to join the fight against the Russian invasion. "It's our land and our country and we have to protect it," the couple said.
PHILADELPHIA - A Montgomery County couple is returning to their homeland of Ukraine to help defend against Russia's ongoing invasion which has intensified over the last week.
The husband and wife, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, have watched in disbelief as Vladimir Putin's army continues to bombard their former home.
"For myself, I knew from the beginning that I'm going to go. I want to do something. I just cannot stay here," the 33-year-old wife said.
Russia claimed to have taken control of its first major Ukrainian city, Kherson, on Wednesday but the claim has been disputed. In a video address to the nation early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukrainians to keep up the resistance but didn’t comment on whether the Russians have seized any cities, including Kherson.
"They will have no peace here," Zelenskyy said. "They will have no food. They will have here not one quiet moment."
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The rogue couple left their jobs before setting out on a noble mission to help fight for the freedom of Ukraine. They have built up a cache of supplies that includes helmets, bulletproof vests and special glasses.
They plan to fly into Poland and travel by train to Lviv in the western part of Ukraine to join the fight in any way they can.
"We're going to do more patrolling at this point, or kind of backing up people with experience that already left our city to fight in the hot zones," the 41-year-old husband said.
Russia reported its military casualties for the first time since the invasion began last week, saying nearly 500 of its troops had been killed and almost 1,600 wounded. Ukraine insisted Russia’s losses were far higher but did not immediately disclose its own.
A Ukraine-born Montgomery County couple is heading to Ukraine to join the fight against the Russian invasion.
Russia's 40-mile-long (64-kilometer-long) convoy of tanks and other vehicles remained outside Kyiv as the capital continued to be struck by shelling.
Zelenskyy’s office reported a powerful explosion Wednesday night between the Southern Railway Station and the Ibis hotel in Kyiv. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry is located near that area. Ukrainian Railway Service said at the time of the strike, thousands of women and children were being evacuated from the station, which suffered only minor damage.
The tide of people fleeing Ukraine — by car, train and on foot — marks the swiftest exodus of refugees this century. Shabia Mantoo, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said "at this rate," it could become "the biggest refugee crisis this century."
"It's our land and our country and we have to protect it," the couple said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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