Ukrainians in Southern Utah ask neighbors to support their country

ST. GEORGE — Of the 44 million Ukrainian citizens in the world, a few of them live right here in St. George, Utah.

Mykhailo and Ivan Mosiichuk are twins, both studying information technology at Dixie State University. They are also two of the small handful of Ukrainians living in Southern Utah. Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine one week ago, Mykhailo Mosiichuk says things have been “rough.”

“It’s pretty scary what’s going on over there,” said Mosiichuk. “Even though our hometown is located north of the actual battle zone, my mom says she still hears the sound of whistles and planes… the alarm goes off all the time. They always have to go hide in the bunker under our house.”

Mosiichuk said he has been staying in constant contact with his friends and family members still in Ukraine. “I always call our parents every day and ask what’s going on. We’re always texting on messengers throughout the day.”

“I never thought something like that would actually happen,” said Ivan Mosiichuk. “It has been tough for us, but it has been tougher for the people in our country. But our people are strong, and they protect our country as much as possible.”

Mosiichuk said he also feels for the Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. “Russian government just sends people and sends people… it doesn’t care what you say to them. You’re either a traitor or you attack a neighbor country next to you. So they don’t have much choice. I feel bad for those people too. They are the victims of the war too.”

The brothers said they have received support from their friend group at DSU. “A lot of my international friends here at DSU have supported us, and it was pretty warm to my heart,” said Mykhailo Mosiichuk.

The brothers also said while they understand the United States is limited in the help it can provide, they hope people can donate and support people in Ukraine.

“It’s good to see the support outside, the clocktower for example or the Dixie signs lighting up in Ukrainian colors,” said Ivan Mosiichuk. “But if people could provide more support to Ukrainian people… that would be nice. We appreciate the support from anybody, doesn’t matter how much it is. A little part is everything for us.”

Mosiichuk said he wishes he could do more, but being so far from home he is limited.

“We live in uncertainty. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. We don’t know. We just hope for the best, and all we can do is help around, share information to people, tell how things are going, and pray for our people to be alive.”

The brothers also wanted to thank the people defending their country.

“I would like to thank our defenders of Ukraine. They risk their lives every day,” said Ivan Mosiichuk. “Thank you to our parents and friends in Ukraine that are trying to defend our country,” said Mykhailo. “Stay bold and strong, and support our country and fight for us.”

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