Thumbnail image courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense
The war in Ukraine may seem distant to many in the Bellarmine community, but it hits much closer to home for students with ties to the region.
Almost a month into the conflict, Bellarmine students with family in Ukraine are increasingly concerned for their safety.
Senior sociology major Sasha Belinova has family members, including her brother and his family, living just a few hours' drive south of the capital city of Kyiv.
“I have been worried in terms of my family consistently,” Belinova said. “It’s hard to say, you’re not sure where the troops or the raids are going to happen.”
Community members with family in Ukraine itself are not the only ones who are concerned about the ongoing conflict there. Calin Suteu is a graduate student from Romania who is working towards a Ph.D. in Physical Therapy from Bellarmine.
Suteu said: “In 2004 after I finished my undergraduate studies I joined the military for six months, which is mandatory in Romania. Whenever we did any war simulations, it was always supposed that we’d be attacked by the Russians.”
Suteu said he worries Russian occupation of Ukraine could lead to increased hostilities between Russia and NATO countries, like Romania.
Other members of the Bellarmine community have a different perspective on the conflict. Yasemin Gechgil is an English major at Bellarmine who was born in Kazakhstan and is ethnically Russian.
Gechgil acknowledges the fact that Russia is the aggressor but said she wants to caution people who are not experienced with the situation to refrain from becoming too extreme with their rhetoric. “I am concerned about the ‘Russia-phobia,’” Gechgil said. “All over Europe Russians are being ostracized and segregated.”
Global sanctions that have been taken against Russia and its allies have had real effects, even on members of the Bellarmine community.
Freshman biology major Ekaterina Tikhonko was born and raised in Belarus, moving to the U.S. this year to begin her studies at Bellarmine. Belarus is a close ally to Russia and gives Russians free passage through its territory to invade Ukraine from the north.
Because of its alliance with Russia, Belarus has suffered many of the same restrictions imposed on Russia. Tikhonko’s credit card was blocked because it was linked to a Russian bank, and her chances of going back home anytime soon are slim.
Tikhonko said: “That’s why I am not going back this summer. I might get back, but I will not be able to come back here.”
Even with these restrictions, Gechgil thinks that the Russian people will weather the struggle.
“If you’re in your 60s in Russia, you’ve already lived through several crises, so the sanctions aren’t a big deal,” Gechgil said.
All four students said they were impressed with how Ukraine has fared in the conflict so far and said they hope peace will be achieved soon.
“I’m incredibly proud at the amount of resistance I’ve seen, and how successful it has been just really shows the will of the people,” Belinova said.
Members of the Bellarmine faculty and staff are getting involved in several ways to help support those affected by the conflict. Dean of Student Success and International Programs Dr. Kristin Wallitsch has involved herself directly with the Louisville mayor’s office, serving on the board of directors for the World Affairs Council and creating a task force to assist people negatively affected by the conflict.
The task force was given the jobs of handling refugees that may move to Louisville and getting supplies from Louisville to Ukraine.
Wallitsch said: “There had been talk about ‘how do we get stuff over? How do we ship things?’ Well, you don’t need to start from the ground up. Supplies Over Seas is a nonprofit organization that already ships supplies overseas for humanitarian aid, so they were brought into the conversation.”
Wallitsch said she encourages members of the Bellarmine community to participate in service events like the supply drive held by the Center for Community Engagement in partnership with Catholic Charities. The drive took place through March 25. All supplies collected there will go toward assisting Ukrainian refugees in Louisville.
Comments