Finding sanctuary: Ukrainian family to be hosted in Bartholomew County as war continues

IF all goes well, a Ukrainian family fleeing for their lives will find peace and sanctuary northwest of Columbus next month.

After the couple and their 6-year-old son arrive in mid-June at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, they will come to Bartholomew County to reside in the home of Susan Thompson. While the exact address is being withheld for security reasons, Thompson is able to provide a number of details about her soon-to-be house guests.

At birth, the husband was named Oleksandr, but the Americans he worked with for eight years at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, called him Alex. His wife is Anya, a former law enforcement officer, but some have called her Anna as well, Thompson said. Their young child is named Yehor

Thompson and the three-member family have been thoroughly checked by the U.S. government, and the family has received travel authorization to come to Indiana.

They have been approved for a new program founded April 21 by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Uniting for Ukraine provides a pathway for Ukrainians and their immediate family members to stay in America for two years.

However, if the war being waged by Russia has not subsided in that amount of time, Thompson said it’s possible the family’s stay in the U.S. could be extended.

Whatever inconvenience Thompson may experience hosting the family will be nothing compared to what Alex, Anna and Yehor have already experienced, she said.

“To say this family has been through hell and back is an understatement,” she said.

Escaping the violence

Alex grew up in or near Crimea, a peninsula southeast of Ukraine in the Black Sea that Russia annexed in 2014, Thompson said.

When life became violent and hostile due to Russian aggression, his family first moved almost 400 miles northeast of the Crimean border to Cherkasy, a large city of about 270,000 residents in central Ukraine, she said.

But their stay was cut short when the couple discovered Cherkasy was also too dangerous. So they moved 189 miles northwest to the capitol city of Kyiv.

All students in Ukraine are required to take English classes, and about half can speak the language by the time they reach their mid-20s. Alex’s bilingual skills helped him land a job with the U.S. Embassy while Anna gave birth to their son.

For years, it appeared they could live a normal life. But then came Feb. 24 – the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It wasn’t long before the family was awakened by the sound of bombs exploding near their home. Shortly after the couple and their child fled the dwelling, another bomb destroyed their home and nearly all their possessions, Thompson said.

At this point, Thompson sighs as her voice begins to crack.

“I’m so sorry, but it just breaks my heart,” Thompson said. “He’s only a 6-year-old little boy. And he is just the sweetest thing.”

Target on his back

As Alex phrased it to Thompson, he has “a double arrow on my back” – a reference to an archery target. The Russians wanted him because his Crimean upbringing made him a Russian from Russian’s perspective. They also considered him a traitor for working several years for the American government.

With an invasion underway, Alex knew he had to get his wife and son out of the country. So the family packed up and made the 464-mile trek south to Bucharest, Romania, where Alex was offered a renewable 30-day work permit at the American Embassy.

Although the family found shelter at a refugee center, Thompson said there will be no more extensions and the family must leave Romania no later than the third week of June.

After Thompson’s request to host and support a Ukrainian family was approved, the Columbus woman was provided with the family’s passport information, their identification cards, medical records and other information.

In contrast, the Ukrainian family was told nothing about their American host. Thompson didn’t feel that was right, and decided it would be to the benefit of Alex, Anna and Yehor to meet.

She accomplished that when Thompson met the family on a volunteer website based in Europe, she said.

“We quickly became friends, texting daily and having weekly video chats with families on both sides of the ocean,” Thompson said. “Now, we are all very close with one another.”

While Thompson has a photograph of the family, Alex has asked that photos not be published out of fear it would be posted on the worldwide internet while the family was still in Romania. For their security, their last name is being kept under wraps for the time being.

Thompson said she believes Alex is trying to be as protective of his son as possible.

“I think he’s just incredibly afraid for his son while he is still in eastern Europe,” Thompson said.

Making preparations

At this moment, the Ukrainian family is striving to save as much money as possible before they board the commercial jet that will fly them 5,200 miles to Indiana.

They will need to tap into all their financial resources because state law mandates that immigrants residing in Indiana have to wait five to seven months to receive a work permit.

But while they’ve set aside what they can for airfare, Thompson says she has a member of her own family willing to cover any shortfall the family might encounter in transportation expenses.

Two weeks after establishing a Go Fund Me page with a $10,000 goal, a total of $3,895 was raised. Contributions include an anonymous donor who provided $3,000 to assist the family.

The family’s most immediate needs will be clothing, shoes, a vehicle and health insurance, Thompson said.

While the adults are tackling financial matters, Yehor is trying to learn English before he begins classes in Bartholomew County this August. Thompson says she has already talked to staff members at Taylorsville Elementary School about the boy.

“Obviously, I’m not the parent, but I want to be able to obtain as much information for Mom and Dad as I can, so they can look it over,” she said.

During a recent conversation, Yehor told Thompson through an interpreter that, for him, the most exciting thing about coming to this country is that everyone in America has a dog – or so he’s been told.

A little more kindness

While the Uniting for Ukraine program provides for a two-year stay, Thompson said the actual length of time the family will remain in the Columbus area will depend on how the military conflict in Ukraine progresses.

At this time, Alex is like most refugees from his country. He’s not interested in taking up permanent U.S. residency. When the Russians leave his country and Ukrainian neighborhoods are rebuilt, the father wants to bring his family back to their home country, cherished friends and family and the culture they know and love.

When asked why she is accepting the responsibility of housing a refugee family for an indefinite amount of time, Thompson thought about the question a few moments before replying.

“I just think the world may need to show a little more kindness,” she said. “I guess if you see somebody who needs help, it becomes kind of important to try to do something for them they can’t do for themselves. It kind of wipes out some of the bad in this world.”