Many community members were at the Piedmont Triad International Airport to welcome the Ukrainian refugees. | Canva
Many community members were at the Piedmont Triad International Airport to welcome the Ukrainian refugees. | Canva
The first of what is sure to be several waves of refugees from Ukraine arrived March 3 at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Guilford County.
While many experienced relief at being away from the danger of the conflict in Ukraine, there is also an understandable sense of sadness looming over the reality of what had to be left behind.
One of the refugees, Vira Protsiuk, expressed that sadness upon her arrival.
“It’s very difficult to watch when people run away for their lives," she told CBS 17 News. "Millions of people. Mothers with little babies.”
Another family, that of Tanya Ivanets, had to leave their sixth-floor apartment near the Belarus border when missiles were fired at the building.
“They literally run down the stairs, hide in the bomb shelters, and you sit there," Ivanets told CBS 17 News. "And usually it takes 15 to 40 minutes, and you sit there until it’s safe to return back. Just imagine nine times a day,”
Unfortunately, some people had to be left behind. As is often the case in refugee situations, logistics for evacuating people has been difficult, and families get separated.
Ivanets had to leave a sister behind. “We all wish my sister can come here, and now we’re working with the U.S. embassy so she can come here, but it’s almost impossible. They have thousands of people like her,” she told CBS 17 News.
She also had to leave her husband behind in Ukraine due to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's mandate that all men aged 18 to 60 must stay and fight if they are needed.
It's expected that more Ukrainian refugees will continue to arrive, especially those who already hold green cards for the U.S.
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