Ukrainians in SWFL reacting to Russia’s actions in Ukraine

There is a large Ukrainian community in Southwest Florida. Many people have relatives in the country and are devastated by the war.

Anna Pokhdina Beach lives in Fort Myers, but her heart and soul are with her homeland Ukraine.

“That’s where I was born. That’s where my thoughts, my traditions, my values were formed,” said Beach.

Now the place where she was born is under attack. Russia has invaded Ukraine. For now,  Beach can still talk to her dad, but she doesn’t know for how much longer. What her dad told her about what is happening in Ukraine scares her. “There are casualties all over Ukraine at the moment. So it just keeps coming in and coming in. So my dad said that they decided to go underground a little bit because he heard all the warplanes coming and shaking the apartment buildings,” said Beach.

WINK News asked Beach what she thinks the United States should do to help Ukraine. It’s a simple question with a complicated answer. “I don’t want any American soldiers to die on different soil. I’m going to say that. But I don’t know how else we can help Ukraine. I think we should send more weapons. I think we should help them every way possible,” Beach said.

There isn’t much time to act. Russia is a superpower. Ukraine is not. The county’s troops are brave, but the Russian forces outnumber them. Russia knows that, and so does the United States and the rest of the world. “I think if nobody intervenes that Putin will take over Ukraine in the next few days,” said Beach.

Beach said her country would not go down easy despite the overwhelming odds. Her family in Ukraine said they would fight till their last breath.

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