From homes in the Northwest, Ukrainian-Americans watch Russia’s invasion with anger and anxiety

For Pacific Northwest residents with ties to Ukraine, this week’s headlines have been more than alarming. Russia’s full-scale attack of previously unoccupied Ukrainian territory by air, land and sea is an attack on their ancestral homeland and, for many people, a threat to friends and family members as well.

Tatiana Terdal, a board member with the Ukrainian American Cultural Association of Oregon and Southwest Washington, said she slept only two or three hours from Wednesday night into Thursday as she watched the Vladimir Putin-instigated attacks unfold on television and online. She’s been reaching out to loved ones who are trying to avoid the violence, and connecting by phone and social media to supporters in the U.S. And she’s been reflecting on Eastern Europe’s experiences through World War II, and lessons that feel especially relevant today.