TOP: Demonstators in Detroit don the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
continued from page 15
MARCH 10 • 2022 | 19
ment organizations, JFS will be
working with other commu-
nity organizations, churches
and synagogues, donors and
government organizations to
support families escaping from
Ukraine.
Leonid Balabanov, JFS’
director of transportation and
translation, is one of many
with family members affected
by the situation.
Balabanov’s wife’s family
has been in Kyiv throughout
the conflict, including her
mother, father, brother-in-law
and sister-in-law and their
two children.
Balabanov says they’re
talking with them every day
to make sure they’re fine,
but it’s still hard to under-
stand what’s going on.
Balabanov says his wife’s
family has slept in an under-
ground parking structure.
“It’s explosive there. They’re
afraid,” he said. “If air raid
sirens are not sounded, they
go back to their apartment.”
The family is unable to
flee because his mother-
in-law is homebound in
a 24-hour senior facility,
which is seeing problems
itself.
“The facility is running out
of food and medications. My
brother-in-law is doing his
best to supply whatever he
can find to help everyone at
the facility,” Balabanov said.
Balabanov’s brother-in-law
cannot leave as Ukraine isn’t
letting men ages 18-60 leave
the country. “They can fight.
They won’t let them leave,”
he said.
It’s a heartbreaking situa-
tion for the family.
“My wife is crying for the
last four days,” Balabanov
said. “I don’t know how to
explain what we feel. We do
not understand how it could
happen, and why. I cannot
even understand it.”
Balabanov and his wife
attended the Detroit rally for
Ukraine on Feb. 27.
“We were there. We went to
support Ukraine,
” Balabanov
said. “I was very happy that
people were supporting our
country. There were a lot of
American people supporting
Ukraine, some Russian people
supporting Ukraine and some
from Lithuania supporting
Ukraine. I was surprised. It was
a lot of people there.
”
Balabanov says his brother-
in-law and sister-in-law are
under a lot of stress.
“They fear for my mother-
in-law and the kids, and hope
for international assistance to
end this insanity,” Balabanov
said.
“I hope they’ll be alright.”
YEVGENIYA GAZMAN @YGAZM
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