Dmytro Kuchirka ’22 B.A. (Econ/IR) returned to Syracuse from his home in Ukraine just three weeks before the Russian invasion. He had been home for winter break during his senior year at the Maxwell School.

Though his family expected the invasion based on weeks of military activity and media predictions, he said, “It was surreal to hear my mom say the war had started.”

In the weeks that followed, Kuchirka did his best to keep up with his studies amid unrelenting worry. What was unfolding in real-time for his loved ones back home was the subject of difficult classroom discussions. His professors were understanding and assured him he could opt out, yet he never shied from speaking about the war. “It is important to talk about it,” he said, “otherwise the truth may get silenced by the rampant disinformation. Explaining the events is crucial for our victory.”

His parents spent the first weeks of the invasion sheltering in their basement. His friend was forced to take cover with her baby in an underground parking lot for three days. On the fourth day, she piled into a compact car with the baby, friends and a pet dog, and embarked on a 20-hour drive to a safer part of the country—the route, which normally would have taken seven hours, took them past destroyed buildings and roads littered with burned cars and human remains. “Missile strikes reduced civilian infrastructure to ashes, leaving residents of once peaceful cities trapped beneath the ruins,” he said.

Kuchirka considered returning home to join the fight, but said, “After talking to my parents, I didn’t find the courage to do it.” He added, “When your mom cries and tells you not to join, it’s a bit hard.”

Like many other Ukrainians in the U.S., he did what he could from afar. He joined an organization that delivered medical supplies to the front lines. Additionally, he helped organize an auction of art by Ukrainian painters in Washington, D.C., and donated proceeds to hospitals dedicated to the care of wounded children in Ukraine. Still, he said, “For me, personally, no matter what I am doing, I am not doing enough.”