Boston-area Ukrainians, Russians decry 'heartbreaking' recent U.S. foreign policy moves

Jane, a Ukrainian refugee who lives in Middlesex County, originally came to the U.S. with her two children after living conditions in her home country became unsustainable.

While Jane is grateful for the safety and security she’s found in the United States, she’s disheartened by the federal government’s blatant disregard for Ukraine. GBH News is not using her last name to protect her anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the federal government.

“I find the recent developments really sad and deeply disturbing,” Jane said of recent actions by the U.S. government that many say undercuts its traditional support for Ukraine. “I think that our nation, our people have already paid an enormous price for our freedom. And it’s really heartbreaking to see our country’s future being discussed as if our sovereignty were negotiable.”

As Russia’s war against Ukraine rages on, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently said he, too, is concerned the United States will abandon Ukraine, following a series of actions by the Trump administration. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced he would lift the sanctions on diesel fuel from Russia that have been in effect since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Olga Yulikova, a Russia native and founder of the Massachusetts-based non-profit Olga’s List, isn’t surprised by Trump’s seeming support of Russia.

“Honestly, there’s nothing new there. He’s been like that the whole time,” Yulikova said. “Perhaps he’s completely unhinged now and telling the world that he is 100% on Russia’s side — on the side of the dictatorship and an aggressor. But again, it’s consistent with his ambitions and goals and everything else he has done.”

Olga’s List helps Russian and Ukrainian refugees who were displaced because of the war, providing them with public benefits applications assistance, securing employment, learning the English language, and more. Jane is one of Olga’s roughly 1,000 clients.

“And I’m very thankful to Olga’s List for all the help they are providing,” Jane said. “They organize lots of events like art therapy, it helps a lot. When you are just like one-on-one with the news, it’s really depressing and heartbreaking.”

For Both Jane and Yulikova, it is imperative that they stay up-to-date with the news. However, Trump’s seeming reluctance to defend Ukraine, and the ongoing toll of the war, can make it difficult for them to remain optimistic. To combat the disheartening headlines, they find solace in the local Ukranian and Russian community.

“Our whole community lives and breathes the news,” Yulikova said. “It’s something that we watch 24/7. So it’s really important to us to follow all the recent developments because of the work that we do and for us, it’s a very personal situation, the war in our home country.”

Sophia Anastazievsky, a doctoral student at Harvard specializing in military technologies who has family from Mariupol, Ukraine, has also struggled with the barrage of disheartening headlines in the recent weeks. However, as she’s watched public interest in, and support of, Ukraine dwindle, she can’t help but blame that collective apathy for prolonging the war.

“There was a lot of attention, obviously, and energy around Ukraine in 2022, and over time people have lost interest, moved on to other topics,” Anastazievsky said. “Every additional day an unjust war goes on actually compounds the level of injustice that’s happening so while public attention is at a relative low, injustice just increases every day. It’s sobering and a reminder that justice is a separate question from geopolitical realities.”

Nearly 13 years after Russia invaded the peninsula of Crimea, then part of Ukraine, Anastazievsky is still surprised by how well Ukraine has endured.

“One thing that I find very striking is the extent to which Ukraine’s ability to defend itself depends on decisions made far from the battlefield, both by foreign governments, and by technology companies,” she said “I think this tells us a lot about the ways that warfare is changing.”

Yulikova wants people to know that while Russia’s war on Ukraine may just be a headline for some, it’s a painful reality for others.

“I want to make it very clear that the [refugees] that are here because of the war,” Yulikova said. “They’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. They’re here because we invited them. They came here for safety. And now, not only we’re not assuring them safety right here in our backyard, but our government is also doing everything to frankly destroy their, their country.”