Western Wyoming Ukrainians, friends, demonstrate support

Protesters gather at the Jackson Town Square on Monday evening to show solidarity with Ukraine as that country endures an invasion by Russian forces. The demonstration in Jackson mirrored similar gatherings around the United States. | Bradley Boner, Jackson Hole News & Guide
JACKSON, Wyoming (AP) — As Russian forces continue their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, many American citizens are watching helplessly from afar, wishing for some way to help.
Inez Brunson’s friends felt that way until the 24-year-old Jackson resident shared her family’s story.
Like so many others, Brunson’s cousin, his wife and their two young children were sheltered in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital now under siege. They were taking refuge in the unfinished basement of their apartment building, with candles and camp chairs, as missiles flew overhead.
On social media Brunson shared images of her family’s desperation and asked her followers to give anything they could. Within hours, friends she hadn’t spoken to in years were sending hundreds of dollars through Venmo. Once Brunson wired the funds through an international bank, her cousin’s wife and their children were able to book a rental car and escape to Poland.
Her cousin wasn’t allowed to leave the country because of Ukraine’s new policy requiring all male citizens, ages 18 to 60, to stay and fight. Brunson checks in on him and six other close family members constantly. She hasn’t slept in five days, she said.
Vadym, who asked the Jackson Hole News&Guide to use only his first name for safety reasons, hasn’t been sleeping well either. Both of his parents are hiding in a city east of Kyiv, with soldiers holding a line just blocks from their temporary residence.
Vadym said they’ve gone out to that line each day with food and words of encouragement. It isn’t the first time they’ve seen their country invaded.
Vadym’s parents were living in Luhansk, a city right near Ukraine’s eastern border, when Russian separatists took over in 2014. They fled west, and Vadym, who happened to be visiting the U.S. at the time, stayed in Jackson.
“I had no home to go back to,” he said.
Like other Ukrainians living in Jackson, Vadym, 28, owns a taxi company. At the start he was sending money home to his mother and father, but they had no major expenses, unwilling to buy more than could fit in a car for a quick escape.
Their insecurity has been a reality for the past eight years.
“This isn’t something that started three days ago,” Vadym said, frustrated that global leaders allowed the conflict to rise to the level of war.
Now, when he sees U.S. citizens wishing to support the country, Vadym wishes not for funds but for guns.
“It’s too late for the money – that’s just a piece of paper you can light the Molotov with,” he said.
The Ukrainian president has made a similar point. When the U.S. offered evacuation, Volodymyr Zelensky replied: “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
Even as Russia’s attack on Ukrainian cities intensifies, Ukrainian resistance is winning praise from an increasingly allied host of nations. Many have praised President Zelensky in particular for appearing on the front lines of the fight, rallying his nation against what seem like impossible odds.
“I’m not sure how much longer they can fight them, honestly. But for the last five days, (Ukrainians) have proved to the whole world that they can kick ass,” said Jackson resident Tatiana Breus, who preferred to use her maiden, Ukrainian last name.
She was joined Monday evening by dozens of demonstrators on the Jackson Town Square who came to celebrate Ukraine’s defiance and to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The rally’s organizer, Alina DiDonato, said waving the Ukrainian flag in solidarity is an important gesture, even in an isolated community like Jackson Hole.
“It’s easy to feel disconnected from global reality living in a mountain town,” she said, fearful that authoritarian aggression could have very real ramifications beyond her native country, which she fled as a political refugee during 1980s communism.
DiDonato’s son, a senior at Jackson Hole High School, came out with his classmates to show support for his ancestral home, a country he hasn’t been able to visit because of its political instability.
Even knowing that history, Alexei DiDonato said he never thought war was possible.
“I thought it was all just a bluff,” he said.
The brutalities of war seemed even more surreal for 10-year-old Stan Mosynets, who was drafting a prayer for peace in bold sharpie lettering onto a bit of poster board propped against the antler arch when he asked innocently: “How do you spell ‘Ukraine’?” Fortunately there were plenty of other signs to refer to.
Stan’s parents, Christina and Denys, both have parents and extended family sheltered near the Belorussian border.
“We’re in conversation with my dad saying, ‘F-ck,’ because they have to run down to the bomb shelter,” Denys Mosynets said.
He also worries for his 84-year-old grandmother, who sat in bomb shelters during World War II. She made it through that war, Dennis said, and she’ll make it through this one.
That confidence is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain as Russians mount increasingly lethal attacks in crowded urban settings.
Vadym said his parents still put on a brave face for their calls.
“They try to calm me down, but they are hearing explosions,” he said.
As he spoke with the News&Guide on Saturday, Vadym got a text from a friend, a volunteer soldier stationed in southern Ukraine.
“Yo, I have survived, and we stopped them,” the message read.
Those little updates, small victories, are sustaining hope for now. They are also why Vadym thinks all monetary donations should be routed to the military, before supporting humanitarian aid.
For him and his wife Maria, who attended Monday’s rally, Russian victory is not a foregone conclusion.
Brunson, who helped her cousin’s family escape, was at Monday’s rally too, holding back tears as passersby honked their support. By her side, sporting the Ukrainian flag on his back, was Tipper, an Australian shepherd/heeler mix, who has fulfilled a crucial role during this heart-wrenching time.
“He’s been cuddling his emotionally unstable mom for days,” Brunson said. “Yesterday was like the first day I didn’t cry since it all started.”
How to get involved
There are many ways to help of the people of Ukraine, this is not an exhaustive list:
JH for Good and Voices JH are organizing an auction for Ukrainian refugees. Donations will go to nonprofits chosen by members of the Jackson Hole Ukrainian community. The auction can be found at www.32auctions.com/jhforgood-supportukraine
A Moldovan community member, Mihaela Moroz, is also helping refugees through a fundraiser available at GoFundMe.com/f/food-medicine-for-ukrainian-refugees.
Members of the Wyoming Jewish community have already donated over $5,000, and are continuing to raise funds for the Jews of Ukraine. To donate, visit JewsOfUkraine.com/chabad-wyoming.
For those in need of mental health support, Vista Counseling is offering free sessions with an East European counselor. For information call (307) 203-5002.
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Source: eastidahonews.com