Ukrainian man living in St. George shares his experiences

ST. GEORGE — Mykhailo Zalypko is a Ukrainian student at Dixie State University studying interaction design. He has lived in St. George since 2019 and loves the warm weather, kind people, and good friends.

But now Zalypko finds himself in a situation he never thought he would be in — living abroad while his home country is at war.

Zalypko said many of his friends are living in bomb shelters. His family remains relatively safe in the western part of Ukraine. But the situation changes every day, which is why Zalypko said he is in contact with his family and friends 24 hours a day. Watch the video above to hear Zalypko tell his story.

From the web, here are some ways you can help support Ukraine:

1. Support refugees through Care International — Go to Care’s website and click on the link in the popup window saying “Ukraine Emergency: Help Now.” From Care: “The lives of families fleeing violence in Ukraine are at immediate risk. CARE is providing support to partners on the ground and your help is urgently needed. Give now to send lifesaving food, water, and hygiene kits to the most vulnerable in Ukraine.”

2. Help people get access to health services through Doctors Without Borders — From the Washington Post: “Doctors Without Borders… is partnering with volunteers in Ukraine to help people travel to health-care facilities and working to ensure people have access to health care and medicine.”

3. Support refugees through Global Giving — Global giving is collecting funds to provide shelter, water, food, health, and economic assistance to refugees displaced by the crisis in Ukraine. Support them here.

4. Help provide clean water through the International Committee of the Red Cross — The ICRC is using funds to provide clean water to people whose homes have been destroyed in the fighting. Support them here.

5. Support free press in Ukraine through GoFundMe — The Kyiv Independent has set up a GoFundMe to support their journalists on the ground in Ukraine. They have also set up another GoFundMe to assist all other journalists reporting from Ukraine.

For a list of more groups providing assistance to Ukraine, check out these links:

The Washington Post – Here’s how Americans can donate to help people in Ukraine

NPR – Want to support the people in Ukraine? Here’s how you can help

ABC News – How to help Ukraine amid Russian attacks