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Β CHARLOTTE, NC – “It’ll just take one little thing that will turn this into war,” says South Charlotte resident Kathi Matiaszek.
Matiaszek is keeping in close contact with her brother in Kiev. Β He lives close to Independence Square, where violent protests broke out last month. Β “Right out his front window is everything that’s going on there,” Matiaszek says. Β She and other Ukrainians worry about the aggressive moves Russia appears to be making. Β “What’s to stop them, if they take over Crimea, to move into the rest of the country?” she asks.
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George Gulyas works in outreach to the Ukranian community through St. Basil Catholic Mission. Β “We have a general concern for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, so we constantly keep them in our prayers,” he says. Β Gulyas says Ukrainians he talks with want to break free from Russian influence. Β “They’ve been separated from the Soviet block, they have their own country, they want to run it the way they see fit,” he explains. Β
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An important distinction Ukrainians like Matiaszek emphasize. Β “Ukrainian is not the same as Russian. We have a different language, different culture,” she says. Β While she’s worried about escalating tensions… she says it’s a cause worth fighting for. Β “They’re not gonna give up. They want their freedom and their democracy. You know, the things we take for granted here, in America, that’s what they want,” she says.
