JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The devastation of the Russian invasion in Ukraine has already begun to show. Families are deciding if they will abandon their homes to seek refuge else where. With some Mississippians having close ties to Ukraine, they are worried about what is to come next.
“In my family in particular, we can’t find some of them, so we’re very worried. My wife is extremely worried, mother in-law and father-in-law are extremely worried. We have no idea if they will be able to make it to Poland or not. Their town is in the western part of the country, which is only a few hours away, but still we heard there is a lot of difficulty reaching Poland,” said Kevin McKay.
For many, Ukraine is their home, and they plan to stay. However, they are prepared to evacuate at a moments notice.
“My family right now they don’t know what they’re going to do. That’s just talking about my parents. My parents are currently in Kiev. With all the traffic happening, it’s impossible to leave. So currently, they decided to stay, and they’re going to stay. My grandpa already went to the town hall of his city. He said he is ready to volunteer at any time,” said Maksym Konovalov, a Mississippi graduate student from Kiev.
As the invasion continues, the repercussions of war are being felt around the world.
“This problem with Ukraine, it’s going to affect the whole world. It’s already effected gas prices, gasoline prices at the pump. Biden mentioned that today. It’s kind of changed the world order– at least the European world order. It’s changed our thoughts here,” said Attorney and Director of Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance Patricia Ice.
President Joe Biden announced new sanctions against Russia as a consequence to the invasion of Ukraine.