Now observing war in their homeland from afar, family says ‘We cannot give up, we cannot be slaves’

By Paul R. Huard for Ashland.news

For a Ukrainian family who fled their war-torn nation to settle in Ashland, the Trump administration’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine is more than just a foreign policy decision.

It is a question of national survival.

Oleksandr and Olha Chornyi, and their daughter Tetiana Chorna (Ukrainian last names are patronymic and matronymic — “Chornyi” is masculine and “Chorna” feminine), have a message for U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Settle your differences, work for peace, and do what is necessary to continue military support for the beleaguered Central European nation.

“We hope that President Zelenskyy can come to Washington, D.C., and meet again with President Trump,” Oleksandr said. “Without the help of the United States, Ukraine will not survive.”

Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured in recent weeks, especially after Zelensky, Trump, and U.S. Vice President J.D Vance launched into an argument in the Oval Office on Friday, Feb. 28, in front of national and international media.

The spat, after which the U.S. leaders berated Zelensky as “ungrateful” and “not ready for peace,” derailed the signing of a natural resources agreement and preceded the Trump administration’s decision Monday to freeze all military assistance flowing to Ukraine.

In addition, the administration’s increased willingness to grant concessions to Russia and President Vladmir Putin terrified European allies, prompting fears that the United States is now a de facto ally of the Russians and will not uphold its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. Formed in 1949, NATO’s purpose is to counter then-Soviet, now-Russian aggression and expansionism with a collective security agreement.

Many European leaders consider the war against Ukraine a direct threat to the continent’s peace and security if Putin secures a victory against the nation, stating that it would embolden him to order next the invasion of Poland and the Baltic states. All are NATO members.

Closer to home, the Chornyi family said Tuesday both Trump and Zelenskyy lost their temper, suggesting the best strategy would be for both men to move on and continue negotiations that would lead to a peace plan that includes a strategy to end Russian attacks. If the price for bringing Zelenskyy back to the bargaining table is an apology by the Ukrainian president, then so be it.

“Any negotiations between President Trump and President Zelenskyy will help things move on,” said Tetiana. “If an apology can help negotiations continue, it should be done.”

Family members also said the Trump’s accusations that Zelenskyy is an unpopular dictator have not helped the relationship between the two world leaders.

Zelenskyy was democratically elected president by Ukrainians in 2019, when he received 73 percent of the vote in a landslide victory. Since the beginning of the war, elections have been suspended because of martial law, a move sanctioned by the nation’s constitution.

“It is very painful for us to hear (the accusation),” Olha said. “This period in Ukraine is the hardest for President Zelenskyy. There is a war going on. Our country is very peaceful. We never expected someone to invade us.”

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian forces under the direction of Putin invaded Ukraine in force, an escalation of hostilities that have been directed by Russia against Ukraine since its illegal seizure of Crimea in 2014.

The result is the largest war on the European continent since World War II, an unprovoked war of aggression that has displaced 14 million Ukrainians, destroyed many Ukrainian cities, and launched an ongoing international crisis.

Russia routinely targets apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, shopping centers, and railway stations for missile attack, a violation of the international laws of war. There have been thousands of civilians killed and injured because of these attacks and the sound of air raid sirens is a near-daily event in large cities such as Kyiv and Dnipro.

“Soon, there will be a shortage of the protective systems,” said Tetiana. “Of course, the Russians know about this.”

The family is deeply concerned that the suspension of American military aid will prevent resupply of the U.S. air-defense systems that have destroyed many of the armed drones and cruise missiles fired by Russia at civilian targets in Ukrainian cities and towns. It might even encourage Putin to escalate attacks, which continue even as the Trump administration states that the Russian president is open to peace talks.

“Please continue to help us,” Oleksandr said. “We do not have enough weapons to defend our country. We do appreciate the help, and we as a nation will put in as much effort possible to stop the war.”

The Chernoyi family’s odyssey from war-torn Ukraine brought them first to Jacksonville, then to Ashland in 2022.

Oleksandr was the chief mechanic and a manager at a Dnipro coke-producing plant, supervising as many as 300 workers. (Coke — a coal-based product — is used in steel production, an industry that once dominated heavy manufacturing in the central Ukrainian city.)

Olha cared for the home and children. Both are now retired.

The couple lived in a nine-story apartment block in Dnipro, which is Ukraine’s fourth-largest city. Their apartment was on the eighth floor, which shook violently with every nearby explosion from a missile when the war began.

“It was terrifying,” Oleksandr said. “The apartments are not new. Even if the missiles did not destroy our home, we feared the damage might make doors stick, leaving no way to escape. But if our building was destroyed, we feared that people would be badly hurt, killed, or trapped in the rubble.”

“I still hear the sound of air raid sirens in my head,” said Olha, whose health suffered from the trauma and stress of living through the Russian onslaught.

Now, they see Putin as having the advantage because of the halt to U.S. military aid and President Trump’s apparent sympathy for the Russian leader. For the sake of their family and friends who remain in Ukraine, they also said they are tired of the war and want it to stop.

However, that does not mean capitulation to Russia. All three talked about the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people — and their love of freedom.

“No — we cannot give up,” said Oleksandr. “We cannot be slaves.”

But without a doubt, they want the killing to stop. They still place their hopes on some kind of negotiated settlement that will let life in Ukraine return to normal.

“They have to do this,” Olha said. “We need only peace.”

Paul R. Huard worked as a reporter covering government and the U.S. military for Gannett Newspapers. His career also included grant-funded overseas assignments to report about Estonia’s role in NATO and the legacy of the Spanish Civil War. He now teaches U.S. history and literature at Ashland High School. From 2022 to 2024, he spent most of his summer breaks volunteering in Poland and Ukraine to assist Ukrainians suffering from the effects of the war. Last year, he received a fellowship from the Davis Center at Harvard University to develop secondary school curriculum about contemporary Ukrainian history. He will continue to volunteer in Ukraine when he can. Email Huard at [email protected].