SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A group of San Diegans traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for support for Ukraine, which they fear may dwindle as conflict escalates in the Middle East.
“It’s been very difficult. People have forgotten about Ukraine,” said Mira Rubin.
“One world event does not erase another world event,” said Nadia Haywas.
Mira and Nadia are just two out of a small group who returned from the nation's capital after meeting with elected representatives. Also among them was Iuliia Puchko, who made the trip thinking of her loved ones in Kharkiv.
“I think about them everyday. It’s my family… it’s my friends on the front lines,” she said.
Mira says continued support for Ukraine helps keep American troops out of the conflict.
“This is a very important thing to communicate that this is a national interest,” she said.
It’s a statement echoed by Paul Smith – a U.S. Army veteran who joined the Ukrainian forces after the invasion. He’s fought on the front lines and seen firsthand the need for supplies.
“There’s been opportunities my unit has been in where we could have capitalized on the momentum we generated, but we weren’t able to do it because we didn’t have the equipment we needed,” he said.
Nadia Haywas is a teacher here in San Diego. One of her main goals in D.C. was to advocate for a piece of legislation addressing Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
“We should not allow that to continue happening,” she said. “We need to do more.”
And for Oskold Haywas, a Vietnam war veteran who spent time training the Ukrainian military, he advocated for injured Ukrainian soldiers.
“These injuries are such that these individuals will have to be taken care of for the rest of their lives. This is not fixing a wrist or an ankle or even a lost eye… These are super traumatic injuries,” said Oskold.
The group says one of the the highlights of their trip was a moment when a giant Ukrainian flag was held by hundreds at the Washington monument.
“It was just unbelievable. The people… and the spirit of it all,” said Oskold.
“So many people in the park joined us — just random Americans. And that was so beautiful and encouraging,” added Iuliia.
