Ukrainian Americans in new York are desperate to connect with their loved ones abroad as Vladimir PutinThe Russian army invades their home country.
New York is home to more than 150,000 Ukrainians, the largest concentration in the country, with the majority now opposing the deadly occupation.
The largest groups of Ukrainians are in the Eastern Village of Manhattan, an area known as the Ukrainian Village or Little Ukraine, and in Brighton A beach where so many former Soviets emigrated that they earned the nickname Little Odessa, named after a Ukrainian city on the Black Sea.
The neighborhoods have seen an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe since World War II, and then experienced a new wave in the mid-1970s, when Ukraine it was still part of the Soviet Union.
On Thursday, DailyMail.com visited Brighton Beach, a coastal community in the southernmost part of Brooklyn, where worries erupted along the promenade and in shops as residents focused on disturbing images from Ukraine.
They told DailyMail.com along the lively commercial that they were worried about the impact of the Russian invasion, the potential for World War II, and their family and friends stuck in Ukraine.
The largest groups of Ukrainians in the United States are in the Eastern Village of Manhattan, an area known as the Ukrainian Village or Little Ukraine, and Brighton Beach, where so many former Soviet immigrants emigrated that they earned the nickname Little Odessa after a Ukrainian city. of the Black Sea
St. George’s Catholic Church in lower eastern Manhattan has a plaque on the front door of the church that reads “Pray for Ukraine.”
On Thursday, DailyMail.com visited Brighton Beach, a coastal community in the southernmost part of Brooklyn, where worries were growing along the promenade and in shops as residents focused on disturbing images from Ukraine.
A Russian on the street reads about Ukrainians and Russians in their war in the Brighton Beach newspaper in Brooklyn
The Ukrainian village of Manhattan saw an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe after World War II, then experienced a new wave in the mid-1970s, when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union.
St. George’s Catholic Church is located in lower eastern Manhattan in a neighborhood known as the Ukrainian Village or Little Ukraine
Robert Bederoff
As Russia waged war against his homeland, a truck driver, Robert Bederoff, placed his Ukrainian flag on the back of his Jeep Gladiator pickup in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, with plans to lead the caravan to Manhattan.
Bederoff told DailyMail.com on Thursday that he felt the need to express his pride and concern for relatives facing a military attack nearly 5,000 miles away.
“I have my flag in support of all the innocent people of Ukraine,” Bederoff said. “I’m currently watching YouTube as many videos as I can and I see rockets exploding everywhere. People are afraid for their lives, hiding in stations and bunkers, only with their clothes on their backs. It is very sad to know that there is nothing we can do to help. What else can we do but wait, pray and hope.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re trying to do everything we can here to get as many people, friends and family out as possible, safely away from all the madness out there,” Bederoff said, waving the flag at the back of his truck. . “They don’t want to come here.” They want to stay in the homeland. But since it all started, maybe that will change their minds. We can help them with the arrangement of life and clothing. But after all, how can we get them from there to here?
Robert Bederoff has a US flag and a Ukrainian flag on his truck while interviewing DailyMail.com for Ukrainians and Russians at war while speaking at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn
Bederoff told DailyMail.com on Thursday that he felt the need to express his pride and concern for relatives facing a military attack nearly 5,000 miles away.
Alan Kachur
Alan Kachur, 58, worked at a gift shop on Thursday, but focused on his two brothers and sister, who live in Chernivtsi in western Ukraine.
“I talked to all of them today because I’m worried,” Kachur said. “My relatives in Ukraine say this is a war. And today I read that many people, young people there, go to the army.
“They want to protect their land. They will fight, not surrender. But the Russians have the second strongest army in the world. Ukraine cannot defend itself. There is a need for support from other countries. Putin will not stop. He will continue this invasion and go as far as he can.
He said President Biden should not only impose sanctions but also send more weapons to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, he is praying for peace talks.
“Civilians will die, military will die on both sides,” he said. “But this is not 100 years ago. It is the 21st century and we have a negotiating table. We need negotiations.
Alan Kachur, 58, worked at a gift shop on Thursday, but focused on his two brothers and sister, who live in Chernivtsi in western Ukraine. He was interviewed by DailyMail.com about Ukrainians and Russians at war while speaking in Brooklyn
Flora Minyala
Flora Minyala, 49, has a 47-year-old brother who lives in Lviv.
“I only think about my brother,” she said. “I am destroyed.” It’s just awful. I can’t contact him and I need to download an app to try talking to him today. I’m worried that all this is leading to World War III.
“I thought Putin would sit down and talk,” she added.
“I do not understand why Putin is doing this. What does he really want, money? I just hope that President Biden is able to do something to stop what is happening without making it worse than it is now.
Flora Minyala, 49, has a 47-year-old brother who lives in Lviv. “I only think about my brother,” she said. “I am destroyed.” It’s just awful. I can’t contact him and I need to download an app to try talking to him today. I’m worried that all this is heading towards World War III.
Anthony Zlochevski
Anthony Zlochevsky, 60, was born in the port city of Odessa and came to the United States in 1977, when Ukraine was part of Russia and the Soviet Union.
He now shares a community that unites with both Russians and Ukrainians.
“People are scared here because we used to be one nation and we all have a lot of relatives and families living in every country,” he said. “We are all worried about what will happen. I’m just praying that this will end soon, because there is no winner’s situation. This is terrible for everyone.
“I’m not sure what’s behind Putin’s plans,” he added. “I hope it’s not too late to stop the war.”
Anthony Zlochevsky, 60, was born in the port city of Odessa and came to the United States in 1977, when Ukraine was part of Russia and the Soviet Union. He now shares a community that unites with both Russians and Ukrainians
Roman Levkov
Roman Levkov, 55, lived in the Republic of Crimea until December, when he moved to the United States.
“I was there when he changed to Russia in 2014,” Levkov said. He said he considered himself a Russian.
“People in Crimea live in Ukraine, but they are actually Russians, pro-Russians,” he said. “They do not want to be Europe. Russia has money, and in Russia they do not steal as much as in Ukraine.
Roman Levkov, 55, lived in the Republic of Crimea until December, when he moved to the United States. “I was there when he changed with Russia in 2014,” Levkov said
Mark Traiger, a Ukrainian American and former New York adviser who represented Coney Island, likened what was happening in Ukraine to World War II blitzkrieg.
“Many of the Ukrainian community here strongly condemns Russia’s aggression and any attempt by the Russian president to recreate the Soviet Union,” he told DailyMail.com. “There is a reason why NATO was born, and there is a reason why America and its allies who believe in democracy have come together to try to counter Soviet aggression, communism and tyranny.
“We need to go back to the original principles of NATO and really unite the free world and stand up for Ukraine, because this is not the end for Putin,” he said.
“We have seen this book before, where a tyrant will try to conquer neighboring lands in the name of unification, just as Hitler annexed and conquered parts of Czechoslovakia,” he said.
“It doesn’t end well when the world practices pacification. The United States must unite Europe, NATO and its allies and put adequate pressure on Russia to suspend the operation and defend Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.