Ukrainian family in US stays close to relatives amid fears

By JAE C. HONG
Associated Press
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine last week, Hanna Tverdokhlib has been carrying her phone as if it were glued to her hand. When she is not watching news on it, she is texting her cousins and close friends back home or checking their Facebook posts, hoping they are still safe in a bunker underneath their Kiev apartment building. The 37-year-old Ukrainian immigrant says waiting to hear back from them is like waiting for “death.” She feels helpless and guilty for being safe in the United States, so she goes to rallies to show her support for Ukraine. Her 7-year-old son, Volodymyr, makes signs of support for the Ukrainian people.