SARASOTA (WSNN) – Millions of people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, and some have come to the Suncoast to find refuge.
Valeriia Skorobohach and her family left everything to start their life over from scratch in America. This is something she says they did not want to do.
Valeriia is a single mother who used to live in Bucha, Ukraine with her three kids. But at the end of February, the war began and her life changed forever.
“When we lived in our city Bucha, there was aviation and with the bombing from the sky,” Valeriia said. “That was scary because we don’t know where it will fall.”
“I always downstairs, under the stairs, I was hiding there,” Valeriia’s son, Matviy Konovalenko said.
Her mom, Inha Skorobohach, felt the peril too, from Mariupol.
“In February 25th, my home was occupied by Russian soldiers, and my dental clinic was destroyed,” Inha said.
Despite the war, Valeriia and her mom say they did not want to leave their home.
“If I wouldn’t have my kids, I would 100-percent go to war, take all this stuff, and fight against the Russians,” Valeriia said.
But Valeriia’s 12-year-old son, Matviy made the decision to leave.
“If my mom would die, I would have to care about my other siblings, and I really can’t do this because I’m only 12 years old with one disabled person,” Matviy said.
His younger sister had a stroke, and is disabled. The war forced the kids to grow up quickly.
“He went from a teenager to a man,” Valeriia said. “The only one thing that he wants is to protect us from the war. “It’s really good decision, so I was really proud of him.”
So, on the fourth day of the war, they left Ukraine. They’ve been on the Suncoast for several months now. Inha came just last week.
“We’re in a safe place and it’s much better than [living] in Ukraine with bombing,” Matviy said.
Everything at their home in Ukraine was destroyed.
“The Russians take all my life,” Inha said. “Now, I lost my home, I lost my church, my friend, my patients, my clinic.”
But, that won’t stop them from returning home and rebuilding. Ukrainians have a lot of pride in their country. Valeriia says they will stand and fight as long as it takes.
“I 100-percent believe the victory is on us,” Valeriia said.
Now, Valeriia’s family is going to school here and living life as normally as they can.
Her sister’s coffee business was destroyed in Ukraine too. So, Valeriia’s sister is selling coffee in hopes of making money to rebuild her business. If you want to help her, the link is here.