‘They hear bombing all of the time’: Ukrainian family in Lincoln fears for loved ones

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Blue and yellow ribbons decorate the outside of the Synya family’s south Lincoln home to show support for their homeland, Ukraine.

The Synyas came to the capital city 18 years ago from Kherson, Ukraine, a city close to the Black Sea that’s currently occupied by the Russian army.

“We never expected it, that people would just come to our country and kill, and rob and kidnap people, so it’s very disappointing,” Oksana Synya said.

She has watched the horror unfold on her television and is listening to the chaos through daily phone calls with her family and friends who are still in Ukraine, like her mother and some of her husband’s family.

“They’re scared,” Synya said. “They hear bombing all of the time, and it’s not far from the airport, and they’re bombing the airport, like destroying some homes, too.”

She her loved ones are dealing with other struggles, too, on top of just trying to survive.

Food and medicine are becoming scarce in the country.

“They don’t allow trucks to enter the city and bring food to people, like whatever is left in the city,” Synya said. “The same with medicine, too, like, they don’t have enough medicine for people, too. They’re short on everything.”

Although her family is OK at the moment, Synya worries that could change as the war continues.

She hopes that NATO countries and the U.S. government continue to help and give more ammunition to Ukrainians.

Synya keeps praying that the Russians will just stop bombing her beloved country.

“They bomb everything — houses, hospitals, schools — they just ground everything, level the ground, whole cities,” she said. “They just want to destroy the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian nation.”

She is asking for prayer for her family and the whole country of Ukraine.

Synya encourages those who can help to donate or put together packages for the Ukrainian people.