Ukrainians in Korea devastated by war-torn homeland

Kostiantyn Kozoriz, a Ukrainian resident living in Seoul from Uman, central Ukraine, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office, March 8. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

By Lee Hyo-jin

It was around midday on Feb. 24, when 23-year-old Kostiantyn Kozoriz, a Ukrainian resident in Seoul, saw on live broadcasts how Kyiv, the capital of his homeland, was being bombarded by Russian forces.

Struck with horror, he immediately picked up his phone to call his family living in Uman, central Ukraine.

"I told my mother to collect some documents, clothes and money and hide in a safe place. But she didn't realize what was going on at first," said Kozoriz, who currently works as a research assistant at Korea University.

"And then an hour later, my 13-year-old sister called me. She was screaming and crying with terror from the sound of rockets outside the window," he said. "It was beyond awful."

More than two weeks have passed since then, but things have only become worse. With no end in sight after Russia launched an attack on its neighboring country in what it calls a "special military operation," the number of civilians and military casualties and fatalities continues to rise.

In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Ukrainian residents in Korea shared how their families and friends are dealing with the devastation of the military aggression, and expressed fury over the atrocities committed by the Russian government.

"My mother and sister are now hiding in a bomb shelter, and my father joined a defense group. As for some of my friends who also joined the forces, I don't even know where they are now…" said Kozoriz.

Olha Shestakova, 28, an office worker in Seoul from Lviv, said, "The first couple of days it was just constant crying for me. There was nothing else I could do."

Olha Shestakova, a Ukrainian resident speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office, March 8. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

She added, "When I wake up in the morning, I see messages from friends and family saying, 'I'm not sure if I'm going to survive today.' But what can I say to them, that everything is going to be just fine?"

Dmytro Vi, who is from the northeastern city of Kharkiv, said he was "anxious and horrified."

"There was always a possibility that Russia would launch an attack ever since they first invaded the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. But no one expected that it would be so blatant. Without any warning or any reason, under a false agenda, the Russian forces began attacking civilians in residential areas," he said. "And it's getting worse as time goes on."

"It's a war. There's no other way to put it," said Valeriia Poliukhova, a Ph.D student from Crimea. "Cities are being destroyed and people are dying on the street. People don't have enough water or food supplies. They don't have electricity. Many have lost their homes."

Current sanctions not enough to stop Putin

Although the international community has been imposing various economic and diplomatic penalties against Russia, they have so far be ineffective in stopping the aggression, said the Ukrainians, who called for stronger sanctions.

Dmytro Vi, a Ukrainian resident living in Daejeon speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office, March 8. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

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"I feel grateful for the support from across the world, but sanctions should be harsher. Though it will demand courage and sacrifices from people of other countries, but we must show that their actions will not be tolerated," said Vi.

"If a person commits a crime, he or she goes to prison and faces isolation from society. And just like that, Russia should be isolated from the world in all sectors, such as energy, the economy, science and sports," said Kozoriz.

He also raised his voice against ordinary Russians.

"They are also responsible for the crime. I think that they don't even realize what is going on now. What they do care about and complain about are travel bans and sanctions on imported products," Kozoriz said.

Valeriia Poliukhova, a Ph.D. student from Ukraine, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times, March 8. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

Poliukhova echoed the sentiment, saying, "Russia will be remembered as the new fascist regime of the 21st century. But people there don't seem to worry about this nor about the children dying in their neighboring country."

"They worry about IKEA's closure, and that Spotify is not working there, or that Apple's iPhones are not available in the market."

'President Zelenskyy is our hero'

The Ukrainians interviewed speak highly of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that his leadership is a big motivation for people staying strong, making them believe that Ukraine will eventually win this war.

"Our president is a hero. No one would have thought that Zelenskyy actually would go in the streets and fight together with the army to protect his people," said Poliukhova.

"He's doing a really great job. Ukrainians will not stop fighting, seeing the example of our president who is defending our homeland after refusing to flee from the country," said Kozoriz.

Shestakova, who was among the 30 percent of Ukrainians who did not vote for Zelenskyy in the 2019 election, said his handling of the crisis situation made her change her mind.

"He will be recorded in history as one of the most impressive leaders during wartime," she said.

Grateful for support from Koreans

The Ukrainians who were interviewed expressed gratitude for the support shown by the Korean people and the government over the past couple of weeks.

Local activists and Ukrainian residents hold a rally protesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in front of the Russian Embassy in Seoul, Feb. 28. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon

"Koreans are good people, and I know that from my heart, since I am of Korean descent," said Vi. "I hope that Korea will continue to be a part of this world showing courage in fighting the aggressor Putin," he added.

"I'm thankful for their support and for the solidarity that Koreans have shown to Ukrainians, not only through donations but also by spreading accurate information about the current situation," Kozoriz said.

"Koreans are people of 'jeong,' they have sympathy toward others and have feelings of justice. It is amazing how they are trying to support us, by calling our embassy and contacting us through Facebook. I also appreciate the Korean government for imposing sanctions. I know it wasn't an easy decision for them," said Shestakova.

However, at the same time, they stressed that Ukraine is currently in need of urgent military support and humanitarian aid for the refugees in the protracted war.

"I hope there could be more support for the troops who are risking their lives to protect the civilians. Any military supplies would be appreciated, such as bullet proof vests, helmets and medical supplies," said Poliukhova.