Ukrainian refugees taken in by Philadelphia church share harrowing story of escape from war-torn homeland

Ukrainian refugees taken in by Philadelphia church

Two Ukrainian refugees who fled their war-torn homeland were taken in by a Philadelphia church that raised money to help bring them stateside. The women, Alla Pukhtetska and Veronika Matviienko, shared their harrowing journey through Ukraine to Poland with FOX 29's Jeff Cole.

PHILADELPHIA - A Ukrainian cathedral in Northern Liberties is offering sanctuary to two women who fled their war-torn homeland of Ukraine as the Russian invasion continues.

Alla Pukhtetska and Veronika Matviienko arrived at the Saint Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral Wednesday night after being picked up by Vice President and Choir Director Susan Guz, and Bishop Lukeat JFK Airport.

They will live in the rectory of the church and are likely to be joined by others as church member have raised $20,000 to help refugees.

The women lived in Kiev and worked together in a cathedral there. They told FOX 29's Jeff Cole that they feared they would be killed in the bombardment of the city.

"I was afraid not to have time to escape," Pukhtetska said. "I called Veronika I insisted that bombing-these are cruel technologies-they’re not deciding who will die."

The pair left their homes in Kiev in early March and crossed into Poland the next day. They said they are thankful to Poland for welcoming so many refugees. But they remember the sadness.

Two Ukrainian women walked 450 miles from Kyiv

FOX 29's Shaynah Ferreira speaks with the first two Ukrainian refugees to come to Philadelphia.

"There were mothers with children without men, without assistance or finances-it’s a tragedy for the Ukrainian people," said Pukhtetska.

Pukhtetska, 42-years-old with an advanced degree in law and Matviienko, 50, and the leader of a large church choir, both dream of returning to Ukraine one day. When asked if they fear little will be left or their country, Pukhtetska said she believes the resistance will continue to stand tall against Putin's army.

"Our students will rebuild. We love our country," Pukhtetska said.

In the first two weeks after Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, about 2.5 million people in Ukraine’s pre-war population of 44 million left the country to avoid the bombs and bloodshed. In the second two weeks, the number of refugees was roughly half that.

The total exodus now stands at 3.87 million, according to the latest tally announced Monday from UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency. But in the previous 24 hours, only 45,000 people crossed Ukraine’s borders to seek safety, the slowest one-day count yet, and for four of the last five days the numbers have not surpassed 50,000 a day. In contrast, on March 6 and March 7, over 200,000 people a day left Ukraine.

UNHCR says the war has triggered Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II, and the speed and breadth of refugees fleeing to countries including Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia — as well as Russia — is unprecedented in recent times. Poland alone has taken in 2.3 million refugees and Romania nearly 600,000. The United States has vowed to take in 100,000

President Joe Biden said the United States would admit up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and provide $1 billion in humanitarian assistance to countries affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The administration did not provide a timeline, but it’s typically a lengthy process and the officials said all 100,000 may not necessarily arrive this year. Most of the refugees probably will settle in parts of the U.S. that already have large concentrations of Ukrainians.