Karolina Connolly née Kovalenko, a Ukrainian living in Greenville, isn’t really watching American news these days. Instead, she and her husband, Jack Connolly, are skipping the network feeds in favor of real-time updates from family, friends and official sources from inside Ukraine.
Jack Connolly, a photojournalist, is following other photojournalists whose digital dispatches he’s sharing on his own Instagram account.
“Thankfully, we’re still able to get in touch with all our friends and family,” he said between phone calls with his bank, which is working with him to send money directly to Ukraine for those in need. He’s raised almost $10,000 in just a couple of days, he said, but anti-money laundering laws are complicating the process.
Karolina Connolly, 28, said the first 24 hours of the Russian invasion were agonizing. “It was devastating to wake up to the news — with family texting, calling — knowing the Russians were attacking,” she said. “The people there are in hiding, panicking, running away.”
“No one really believed Putin would do something like that.”
But as the shock wore off, she began focusing her energy fighting to keep herself — and as many others as possible — informed.
“The Russians are lying to their own people, telling soldiers’ families they’re only out on a training exercise,” she said, adding that Russian forces have been ordered to deliberately make war on civilians.
The Connollys are following several Instagram accounts, including:
But while the couple’s eyes and ears are on the steady stream of images and updates flooding their feeds, their hearts are with Karolina’s mother, Tatyana, who runs a grocery kiosk in Kyiv.
The power grid is still mostly operable as are water utilities, Jack said, and food is still available. “Today, they were able to go out and get groceries, which was great.” But the rest of the time Tatyana shelters from the fighting in the basement of her apartment in a northern suburb. He said Tatyana reports there are strict curfews, and Ukrainian military checkpoints restrict movement in the city of about 3 million.
On Feb. 26, the couple, who met on a mission trip to Ukraine and married three years ago, were among about 150 who rallied in support of Ukraine in downtown Greenville on Saturday, Feb. 26. The turnout surprised Karolina.
“I didn’t expect it. There were so many Ukrainians who came together to pray for the country,” she said. “Prayers are much appreciated. It feels nice to be able to do the little we can do from here.”
But as the war drags on, the suffering will only worsen, Jack said. “Even those with savings will run out,” he said. “And the supermarkets are being cleaned out.”
One thing he said he’s come to understand of the country of about 44 million: “Ukrainians are the most proud, loyal and fierce people I’ve ever met — they’re fiercely proud. They’ve had to fight for their independence and they’re patriots.”
“We’re not going to give up,” Karolina said. “We don’t want to be part of Russia.”
