Pleasant Hill man and his family monitoring the Ukraine situation closely

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By BETH ZUMWALT

It’s is not hard to find Andy Webb these days. He is almost always at his home in Pleasant Hill, either on his phone trying to find information from his homeland or watching the news on the television trying to get the latest updates on the situation.

Andy Webb, before marriage Andy Khlibets, was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, the country that was invaded last week by Russia in an attempt to control the country.

“Long story short it was a love story that made me move to United States and start my own family here” Webb shared. “Last time I visited Ukraine was in 2019, but due to the pandemic I wasn’t able to go see my parents and brothers family. I was planning to go to Ukraine this year, and I really hope I still can do that. When Ukraine wins this war.”

Webb said once he heard of the invasion, he immediately tried to contact his family and, so far, has been able to, every time he’s tried. They have also been able to reach out to him.

Andy’s family has set up a group text message, other relatives have done the same and his sister-in-law’s family also has one.
“I joined all of them because in case I can’t get through to one, I have a chance to get through to another, but so far, there have been no communication problems.”

That does not mean Webb’s family has not been affected by the Russian invasion.

“They evacuated their home in Kyiv, Friday,” Webb said. “They went to a family friend that lives on the west of the country closer to Poland boarder. No one thinks (Vladimir) Putin (Russian leader) will get close to Poland and there is a place in the Carpathian Mountains that is few miles from Poland that they can go to, if necessary.”

Many Ukrainians have fled the country and are seeking refuge in surrounding countries. Webb doesn’t think his family will leave the country.

“All men aged 18-60 are banned from leaving the country. They may be needed to fight the Russians,” Webb said. “My father will be 60 in May, but my brother could possibly see action. My family and Ukraine as a whole a very peaceful nation. Most Ukrainians do not own guns. We never had any shootings, terroristic acts etc. The only person I know who owns a gun is the husband of my cousin who is a hunter. All of our military problems started since 2014 when Putin invaded our east boarder and annexed Crimean Peninsula”

Webb’s father is a driver for a major TV channel and his brother is into IT. Neither profession calls for violence.

Webb does not think his mother will leave Ukraine and her husband and son, although she has relatives in Germany.

Everyone is proud by the resistance the Ukraine military and civilians have mounted
against the Russians.

“They are fighting for their freedom and their homes and country,” Webb said. “The Russians don’t even know what they’re doing in Ukraine just following Putin’s order.”

Webb, who hourly monitors several websites that are constantly updating the current situation in Ukraine, as of now over 200 Russian soldiers have been captured, and nearly 5,300 Russian troops have been killed since the start of Russia’s large-scale military intervention in Ukraine

“The Armed Force of Ukraine regularly posts video interviews with those who have been captured. When asked why they were there, none of them knew. One of them asked to call his mother and when he did, he told his mother that he had been captured and his mother asked ‘Where?’ He said ‘Ukraine’ and she asked him what he was doing there. The answer was “my commander send me”.”

In addition, Webb says the Russian people have been given lots of propaganda and misinformation over government controlled media. They even use celebrities to mislead people and spread false statements, unlike Ukrainian celebrities who joined Ukrainian defense teams.

Webb says he was not surprised by the Russian invasion, but he is surprised how violent it is. Military bases and airports have been hit, Ukraine’s infrastructure has been damaged, lots of buildings burned down to the ground. There are shortages of food, medical supplies, transportation is limited as roads, bridges etc, have been attacked.

“A house was bombed just 10 minutes from the house I grew up,” Webb said. “A kindergarten building in my mom’s hometown Chernihiv was hit. Schools, hospitals, pharmacies they just don’t care what targets they choose at this point.”
Webb said Putin thought he could take Ukraine as easily has he took part of Moldova (1990-1992), part of Georgia (2008), and annexed Ukrainian peninsula Crimea (2014).

“Putin is following Hitlers pattern, his statements very similar to the ones fascist leader once made” Webb said. “I am surprised and very proud of the resistance Ukraine has been able to mount. But Russian has a militia of one million, Ukraine has 200 thousand plus thousands civilians who joined defense teams in almost every city. I believe Putin will never stop. He will keep going. So far, my homeland standing strong against them, and I believe WE CAN and WE WILL WIN. The whole world supporting Ukraine.”

Webb is understandably resentful of Putin, who he says has been in open conflict with Ukraine since 2014.

“I hate him,” Webb said with emotion, “I think every Russian should be held accountable for letting him do this.”

Webb said he has been in contact with other Ukrainians who are in the United States and they are all on the same page, as well as Russian American friends, he has.

“For centuries Russia was always trying to erase Ukraine’s history, heroes, culture, language. The whole identity of my people. The result of Stalin’s policies was the Great Famine (Holodomor) of 1932-33 — a man-made demographic catastrophe unprecedented in peacetime. I remember when I was going to first grade of my school in 1993, all the cool kids spoke Russian and the kids that spoke Ukrainian were what you would call “village people”. What Putin did right now? He united all Ukrainians and restored our identity, that he and his predecessors was trying to ruin for hundred of years. And I will tell you, united Ukrainians are not a joke, looking back to our two revolutions 2004 and 2014, when we managed to overthrow our pro-Russian government.” Webb said.
Webb said he is hopeful NATO will intervene and help with the fight, but, doesn’t expect that to happen unless the invasion moves closer to Poland or Putin decide to invade other ex-Soviet Baltic (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) countries which are NATO members. Ukraine was considering joining NATO, which was one of the points that is believed to lead to the Russian invasion. Putin said NATO was going to use Ukraine to build military bases on Russia’s doorstep.

Andy asks all the supporters of Ukraine to go and donate to several funds, all that benefit the Ukrainian people.

http://linktr.ee/RazomForUkraine@RazomforUkraine/Linktree.

Funds that can be donated to are: ComeBack Alive, direct support of the Ukrainian Army, donate directly to the Ukrainian Army, or the Razom Emergency Response Fund, humanitarian aid, hospitals in Ukraine, Voices of the Children, an organization that helps children overcome trauma of the war.