ATLANTA — Families in metro Atlanta are contacting their relatives in Ukraine, who are in the midst of the Russian military attacks on their cities, and, in many cases, they're finding out their relatives, who had the chance to escape as soon as the bombing started, decided instead to stay--to fight, if necessary.
One woman in metro Atlanta tells 11Alive her family in Ukraine has moved out of their home into a bomb shelter, determined to work with their neighbors to find a way to help their country.
Another Metro Atlantan, Olena Ursul, talked with her sister right after the bombings began in Odessa. Her sister told her she was fleeing with her children, so their father, her husband, could stay behind in the city, to fight.
Zhanna Gorbunova, who is 67, also refused to leave. Gorbunova lives near Kyiv.
11Alive talked with Gorbunova on the phone Thursday night.
Her daughter, Oksana Drelinska, who lives in Gwinnett County, translated.
“She heard this bombing sound, like, the sound of exploding rocket," Drelinska said, conveying what Gorbunova was describing.
While the bombing was beginning, Drelinska worked quickly to get her mother out. She was able to get her mother a bus ticket, to travel immediately from Kyiv to family in Poland. But Gorbunova, a retiree who works at the hospital as a housekeeper, refused the bus ticket.
Gorbunova told 11Alive she let her daughter know, right away, "I'm not ready to leave Ukraine, now. I can't," and said the reason is simple, as Drelinski interpreted: “She feels a very, very deep connection to her motherland."
Gorbunova expressed her appreciation for the United States and other NATO countries that are supporting Ukraine, and said she intended to be back at work at the hospital Friday morning.
After the call, Drelinska said that she'd been angry with her mother, at first, for not leaving. Then she said she realized, once again, that that is one of the reasons her mother is her role model.
"She told me that, today (Thursday), in the morning, wounded soldiers arrived to the hospital, and they were in need of surgeries. And she was there, I mean not as a doctor, of course, but she helped as much as she could. My mother is a very strong woman. Even if I feel heartbroken that she's still there, I'm scared for her, but she's true patriot. I’m very proud of her that she appeared to be much stronger than I am."
Drelinska said she and other families in metro Atlanta are seeing how loved ones in Ukraine believe that, for them, it's not just about Ukraine, it's about fighting for democracy and freedom everywhere.
"I'm proud of my country. And I hope for the best for all of us," she said.