TOP: Demonstators in Detroit don the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

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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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