Here & Now

Ukrainian Refugees in Wisconsin Reflect on a Year of War

Frederica Freyberg:

Turning to Ukraine, it’s now been a year since the Russians military invaded the country forcing millions of residents there to abandon their homes. “Here & Now” reporter Steven Potter has this story about how some of the Ukrainian refugees here in Wisconsin and the groups helping them are working to overcome new challenges.

Peter Sokor:

We went to bed. At 4:35, we just heard an incredible explosion.

Steven Potter:

On that first night of the invasion last February, Ukrainians Peter Sokor and his wife Ksenia were shaken awake by Russian missiles.

Peter Sokor:

Because we were living like three miles from the military base. So they just started bombing it.

Steven Potter:

With Russian troops closing in on their home near the country’s capital of Kyiv, the Sokors made the decision to take their three young daughters and leave Ukraine but they had to act fast.

Peter Sokor:

We had just two hours to pick up everything we could take with us. It was difficult because we had to leave our dog. We have a German shepherd.

Steven Potter:

Even as war erupted around them, Ksenia remembers being in disbelief.

Ksenia Sokor:

You see on the horizon the explosions and all this stuff. From one point of view, you can’t believe it and then you realize you need to do something.

Steven Potter:

Travelling through Romania and Poland then further into Europe took the Sokor family of five about a month before they eventually made it to Mexico. After crossing the border, they were invited to stay with a family here in Wisconsin. Eventually they secured their own apartment in Stoughton. The Sokors’ story of lengthy travel and uncertain destinations is just like that of many other refugee families. When the refugees reach Wisconsin, they face a new set of challenges, such as finding housing, arranging schools for their children, applying for work permits and in some cases, learning a new language. For recent refugees like the Poroshkov family of four, a number of community members and volunteer groups have come together to help.

Natalia Poroshkov:

We have English classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the evening and we have a lot of volunteers and different teachers who see that we don’t understand anything but they are friendly and they explain a lot.

Steven Potter:

One of the groups working to help Ukrainian refugees is the Stoughton Resettlement Assistance Program. So far, the group has helped almost a dozen Ukrainian families who’ve moved to the area in the last year. These volunteers help the refugees apply for jobs, social security cards, driver’s licenses and health care.

Renee Lushaj:

It’s become very overwhelming at times but the payoff is the fact that we have people here now who we consider family.

Steven Potter:

Because many of the refugee families came here with nothing, they also rely on other community groups in Stoughton such as food pantries and clothing banks but the families still struggle with the emotional stress of leaving loved ones in their war-torn homeland.

Ksenia Sokor:

It’s hard for me. I just can’t sleep. I have bad dreams about my family in the middle of the war.

Peter Sokor:

I did not expect that it would be hard for the youngest because I was thinking for young kids it’s much more simple to get accustomed but she was crying a lot and it was difficult for us too.

Steven Potter:

Illia Poroshkov stays up late at night to talk with his brother and father who are still in Ukraine. Aside from the threat of war and violence, they tell him their gas and electricity is often not working.

Illia Poroshkov:

It’s really not easy to live there right now. It’s really sad.

Steven Potter:

Another hurdle for refugees striving to be self-sufficient is obtaining a work permit. For Natalia Poroshkov who secured a permit and found work at a local floral shop, it happened quickly but for others like Peter Sokor, there can be complications.

Peter Sokor:

While we are waiting for the work authorization, I decided to go and take courses for programming. I’m on the second semester now studying. And it’s hard. But now I also started giving private lessons as a pianist.

Renee Lushaj:

We are covering a good amount of expenses for the families until they get back on their feet. They come here with nothing.

Steven Potter:

Because the war has now stretched on for a year, donations have all but dried up.

Renee Lushaj:

We’ve really had to actually stop sponsoring new families from Ukraine which was a very difficult choice because we have families here who are asking for additional family members to be sponsored and brought over but we really can’t sponsor more people until we receive more donations. There is something they call giving fatigue where it just becomes a lot. Many people have donated so much. Anything they already could and I think the war has gone on for a year now and so as it continues, I think people are less and less able to help.

Steven Potter:

Despite their current financial struggles, the Stoughton resettlement group knows their effort is worth it to the families.

Renee Lushaj:

They’re amazing, amazing families we have here. The kids, the parents, they come from different backgrounds and all walks of life but in the end, they’re just people who want a safe place to raise their family and to exist and to thrive.

Steven Potter:

And the families who are receiving the help say they’re eternally grateful.

Peter Sokor:

This group is just incredible for us. I would really say this is just God’s providence, how we met them. They helped us to rent this apartment and when we came, they just prepared everything for the girls especially. They’re incredible people. Just it’s why we’re so impressed by Americans.

Steven Potter:

For “Here & Now,” I’m Steven Potter in Stoughton.