Opinion – Kristina Synia: I am a Ukrainian who has survived Russian occupation and learned the kindness of Americans

Dear Americans,

My name is Kristina Synia I’m 23 years old and I’m Ukrainian, from Kherson. I am woman from Kherson who, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, remained in her native city, in her native country. From the first days of the war, Kherson was occupied for 9 months. During that time I was with my family: mother, father, and 76-year-old grandmother. I had the opportunity to leave the occupation to the free territory of Ukraine, but I could not leave my family (they categorically did not want to leave the city), my home. I could not imagine my life in another city or country. At the age of 22, I became acquainted with the war on February 24, 2022, survived a terrible 9 months of occupation in my hometown, and now I live for 19 months, as I call it, in the “second nightmare” – a period of daily shelling from the Russian occupiers, who are on the left bank Dnipro.

Almost a year ago, my elderly grandmother, who lives in the coastal zone, needed humanitarian assistance, and miraculously the business card of the most altruistic and kind American, Ben Dusing, fell into my hands. He helped my grandmother. For nine months we have worked together to save the lives of my people. I also soon met another very kind American – John Gardner.

These guys came to Kherson immediately after the de-occupation of the city (November 2022) and remain to this day, helping my residents. During the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, they evacuated people with limited mobility, bedridden people and disabled people in flooded areas under minute-by-minute shelling at that time. This is just an example of the incredibly brave things they have done in Kherson to help us there.

Before coming to Kherson, before the city was liberated, Ben and John  carried out humanitarian missions in other cities of Ukraine.

It is incredible to me and my people that two Americans living in stability and security made the choice to live and work in a country that was at war, and in the most dangerous city of all right on the front line of the war. At a time when, for example, the large international humanitarian organization “International Red Cross” shows cruel indifference to Ukrainians, ordinary people, ordinary Americans, literally give life to my people.

A year ago, I could not even imagine that I would be here in the USA with my “humanitarian family,” Ben and John, as I am now, in search of resources for my residents. I could not imagine that in the center of Kherson we would have the only humanitarian organization, “World Aid Runners” resident in the whole city, a team of two Americans and two Kherson residents and my favorite place, our “Free Store on the Front Line.”

Our “Free Store at the Front” is really special. It serves 600 people a month, providing food, hygiene, medicine and clothing to people who have have no place else to get these things from. Delivering bread every Monday to the coastal zone, humanitarian missions (delivery of food, hygiene, clothing) are especially incredibly risky business performed by Ben and John. In the coastal zone, directly up against the front (the Dneiper River), people live without water, without light and without heat. There is no opportunity to work in the city, businesses are closed, 90% of people have left. Kherson had a population of 400,000 before the war, now it is 40-50,000. Other volunteers, especially foreigners, do not come to such places, and if there are any in the city, then it is for a few days only and in remote areas of the city. Because of the great danger, there are no journalists in the city who could cover the life of the people of Kherson.

Ben and John are called “Kherson’s Americans” in my city (Kherson). They have been with us there since the beginning and they have a special connection with my people. They were given legal residency in our country, in my city, which makes us all proud.

For 9 months, I have admired Ben and John every day. Every day I admire their courage, kindness, bright and sharp minds, clear understanding of the situation, sympathy for my people, bravery, endurance, self-sacrifice, desire to help every minute, search for resources in the benefit of Kherson residents, altruism, willingness to risk their lives every minute, sacrificing their time and resources. These people gave an important thing in this terrible and difficult time – hope. Hope to save someone in need, hope for help in difficult times, hope to have the strength to live, hope for a bright future, hope for the presence of real, sincere goodness.

For me, this is a now magical story of a reunion here in the USA of a guy from Fort Mitchell (Ben) and a guy from Cincinnati (John) with a Ukrainian woman (me) for common service to people in the most dangerous place, to save the souls there from disappointment, to give faith and love, and to give the physical bodies of my people the opportunity to live.

I am incredibly grateful to the people of the United States for their significant support and love for my country, for my city. I am incredibly grateful to know and work with Ben and John every day on the line of fire, one kilometer from the front. I am glad to know that a part of America is always in my hometown, in Kherson. Every moment gives hope. Hope for life.

Kristina Synia
Kherson, Ukraine

(Ben Dusing and John Gardner have returned from Ukraine for a short time. Kristina Synia has joined them, as they are raising money to support the “Free Store at the Front” before they return to their humanitarian work in Ukraine.)