Ukrainian family of 11 arrives in Southwest Florida after escape

A Ukrainian family made it to safety in Southwest Florida. That family of 11 landed at Southwest Florida International Airport on Saturday night.

WINK News reporter Marcello Cuadra was there as the family walked out of the terminal. Cuadra spoke with the children’s grandparents earlier Saturday, and they said the last time they saw their grandchildren was two years ago.

Saturday afternoon, this North Port home was mostly quiet and empty. But now, it’s filled with the sounds of a family reunited.

Nelli and Walter Roshuk spoke to WINK News via a translator. “She says joy and also worrying but so grateful that she will be able to see them on this earth while she’s still here,” Nelli said.

That same home is where the Roshuks’ son, his wife and their nine children will stay after escaping Ukraine. “This is a house that, with the funds that we made from the spearheading the fundraiser, this is the house that we put a security deposit on. With the funds we made and on the first month of rent. So this is where they’re going to [be] obviously you can see many things are still needed,” they said.

A brand new home for a family that had to leave theirs nearly two months ago. “They left on the 25th of February. The day the war started on the 24th. But because they saw the tanks and the planes flying, they packed the car with the children only no material goods. And they drove to Hungary,” they said.

The journey took them through multiple countries and cities, including Austria, Germany, Tijuana, and Minneapolis and they finally landed in Fort Myers. “She says she’s still worried and suffering for the people who are left behind. All of her family is not with her. And she worries about the Ukrainian people in general. So yes, a very disturbing time in her life,” said Nelli.

Lydia Sokolowski helped to translate this interview. She also said that getting the family to the U.S. was a team effort. “We’re all in this together. And to see God answer our prayers and bring this family here, we just want to praise him loudly, and we Baptists are very low-keyed in church, but we just want to shout and yell and say ‘thank you Lord,'” Sokolowski said.

After years apart, Nelli and Walter are finally able to hug their family once again. “I think the main message is cherish your family, love them, hug them because she has not had that opportunity for many years. Such as thank loving your family, but in all this, she thanks God that this is available to us for now,” Nelli said.

Marcello asked the couple what the first thing they’ll do together would be, and they said that they’d celebrate their eldest daughter’s 25th wedding anniversary. They plan to get the whole family together.