JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Natalia Solieva was born and raised in Ukraine and moved to the United States 4 years ago for her job as a Press Officer for the Ukraine embassy.
Her family and friends are still in Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion, she doesn’t go a day without checking up on them.
“I never go to sleep before, you know, I talk with my parents and understand that they are safe and sound," said Solieva.
Solieva said her family plans on staying in Ukraine. Currently, her family is being protected by the Ukrainian army.
“My mom said, Russians came to our land, why we have to leave our homes. they said they are going to stay and protect their family," said Solieva.
Solieva believes that the Russian invasion wasn’t a surprise to Ukrainians, because this war was started in 2014 when Russia occupied Crimea, a peninsula in the south of Ukraine and two regions.
“This invasion. The full invasion was unexpected for many people in Ukraine because probably nobody through that Putin was going to go so far," explained Solieva.
If you would like to donate to support the Ukrainian army, you can click here.
“You should go help Ukraine right now because people are dying every day there. They are protecting Europe. Protecting transatlantic unity," said Solieva.