The War in Ukraine: American Citizen Returns as Refugee

On February 24, 2022 Russia launched a military invasion into Ukraine… This was a steep escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. American citizen Michael Thompson – who had been living and working in Ukraine for five years – brought his Ukrainian wife and their son to the United States prior to the war starting: “The invasion was the reason why we moved” Michael said.

Michael Thompson, his wife Yulia Pylypchak, and their son Timofey, moved to the Glens Falls area a bit over a year ago on January 14, 2022; this was just over a month before the war began. In late 2021, Russia began to move troops closer to the Ukrainian border: “We understood that something was going to happen, and we had a four-year old kid. It was too dangerous to wait for the war to begin” Yulia said. 

Michael had moved to the Ukraine in 2016 to pursue his love of traveling; he trained in ESL and received a teaching certificate. He chose Ukraine because there was a high demand for ESL teachers, and the salary to cost of living ratio was positive. He met Yulia when she was enrolled in his class, and the two later married… They had planned on staying in the Ukraine and traveling to the United States during the summer months. Michael and Yulia wanted their son Timofey to have exposure to both Ukrainian and American Culture. 

Michael left this country as a citizen, and returned as a refugee: “We returned with some clothes and electronics in our luggage” he said. When he brought his family to the United States, Yulia’s thoughts were constantly of her home and family in the Ukraine… Yulia felt that she had no community, and that was a struggle when they first arrived: “We brought Yulia’s mom and her niece over in late October… So now we have her niece who is 18 and Yulia mom who is in her 60s” Michael said. 

 “A lot has happened between the time that we got here and now… We moved here right before the invasion. A lot of people that I know, both Ukrainians and expats, were skeptical that the war was going to happen… Since 2014 – when Russia annexed Crimea – there were a lot of threats, but this time it was different” Michael said.  

“So for a while, people didn’t know if they (the Russian forces) would do anything. It’s been surreal for us. To be honest when we decided to move here I didn’t believe that a full invasion would happen, because the troops that Putin had at the border didn’t seem like enough to attack Ukraine. Ukraine is a big country. Kiev is a big city. The City of Kiev is elevated and it is surrounded by forests and rivers, so it makes invading difficult” Yulia said.

The politics in Ukraine mirror aspects of American politics: “All of the Ukrainian elections are polarized like the American elections… Zelenskyy won in a landslide. Then once he won, his popularity waned a bit… He is very educated with a law degree. He had his own company, he knew how to manage… So when he said that he wanted to run for president, people supported him. Plus, we had five years of the previous president, and we were looking for change because there was not a lot of improvement” Yulia commented.

When Zelenskyy stayed in the Ukraine, it inspired people to stay and fight: “We didn’t think he would stay in the country when the invasion started. He had the option of running. He didn’t leave. Him and his family stayed, and that made us believe in our victory… People in Ukraine became very united. They started helping each other, helping people who moved from the most damaged regions. Victory is possible” Yulia remarked.

Yulia’s mother was in Ukraine when the fighting started. There was no reliable source of electricity or water. The government would make deliveries of water, and standing in line for it was no picnic: “It was dangerous to get water. My mom had to walk about eight miles. She had her hip replaced, but she walked… She knew that it was stay and die, or get out of there” Yulia said.   

Although they were able to get Yulia’s mother and niece to the United State safely, the family was devastated when they heard that Yulia’s brother had been killed in the war… Yulia’s brother – a Ukrainian soldier – had spoken to them on New Year’s Eve just before he was moved to the front lines of the war… His wife and nine-year old daughter are still In Ukraine. 

“We think, how can we help our army and our people maintain through this aggression? We don’t want people to die for no reason. Kids, civilians and soldiers are dying. In this century we shouldn’t have this type of war. We don’t want children to see the cruelty of war” Yulia said.

Michael, Yulia and Timofey currently do not have any plans to return to the Ukraine.