Chicago, IL
Chicago students, including Ukrainian refugees, react to President Zelenskyy speech on Russia war
Eight refugees who simply fled from Ukraine at the moment are enrolled on the St. Nicholas Cathedral College in Chicago, and their new classmates are lifting them up throughout these darkish instances.
However there was a heartbreaking sense of emotion that crammed a classroom Wednesday, as some college students watched President Zelenskyy’s speech and shared a few of the tales their very own households are going via in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy tells US Congress, ‘We want you proper now’ | FULL SPEECH
“At any time when I name my members of the family in Ukraine, we at all times begin out with, ‘What number of instances have you ever hid from a bombing?’ as an alternative of how are you, or how are you doing,” mentioned one scholar.
A present of arms represented the variety of college students at St. Nicholas Cathedral College which are Ukrainian, and on Wednesday college students had been standing up one after the other to share their emotions concerning the struggle.
“I wish to see Ukraine dwell, not simply due to my relative, not simply because they’re there, however due to the inhabitants,” scholar Roman mentioned. “I need the tradition to remain alive. I need individuals to remain alive.”
Eight refugee college students are additionally now enrolled at St. Nicholas after fleeing from Ukraine with their households, placing this struggle into perspective for his or her classmates.
“Their fathers are there, a few of their brothers, their pets additionally, their home, all of their issues — it is very laborious for them,” eighth-grader Sophiya Kovalchuk mentioned.
It is an amazing studying expertise these college students are going to proceed dwelling via for now, whereas getting updates from overseas.
“It has been a transition, however they’ve actually stepped up and have welcomed these college students and have taken them underneath their wing, and it has been an exquisite expertise simply to see that,” center faculty math instructor Monica Idec mentioned.
President Biden’s response, pledging tens of millions extra {dollars} to Ukraine in further army assist, got here too sluggish for some Ukrainian-People, together with Ukrainian Congress Committee Vice President Marta Farion.
“Allow us to not idiot ourselves and suppose if we accommodate Putin that he is not going to proceed to the Baltics to Poland and to different international locations,” she mentioned.
She mentioned swift army aide together with sanctions is paramount, and phrases aren’t sufficient.
“Principally we want to see rather more highly effective weapons to convey down all these muscle tissue and all these planes,” she mentioned.
Requires a no-fly zone and NATO intervention proceed.
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