It's almost a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Olga Chernyak has been watching from afar as her home country has become a battleground. 

“Every day, I start my day by reading the news. That’s the first thing I do. I grab my phone, and I just scroll down because, you know, it's seven hours ahead, so a lot of things probably already happened,” Chernyak said. “Just see if your loved ones are okay. Which areas did they hit?”

Chernyak was born and raised in Ukraine but moved to the U.S. 28 years ago when she married an American. Her parents still live where she grew up, just south of Kyiv.

“I haven't visited my parents since 2021, and it's really daunting on me because they're not well, they're not young. I have to go and see them, and it's a little difficult. First of all, you cannot fly to Ukraine,” Chernyak said.

Chernyak said she calls and texts her parents daily, but it’s difficult to get through because their electricity gets turned on and off in four-hour increments.

“When there is no electricity, there is no internet. You can't call. Sometimes, I call 10-20 times a day just to get through. And when I get through, it cuts off because the electricity went out,” Chernyak said.

Along with her parents, Chernyak said she also has other family and friends throughout the country. She said she didn’t hear from one aunt who lives near the Belarusian border for a while, and she feared the worst.

“Luckily, she was fine because they didn't get to the street where she was living, but all those atrocities that they discovered after they liberated the area that was very close to home,” Chernyak said.

Chernyak’s brother is currently in the U.S. with his daughter, but will soon be going back to the war zone to be with their parents.

“They refuse to leave because it's their home. They built that house. Who has the right to kick them out of their house? If they die, they want to die in their house. That's how they look at it, and I imagine there are millions of people like that who live there,” Chernyak said. “They take it as it is, as it comes day to day.”

She said the Ukrainian people come together to help in any way they can, no matter what happens.

“They hit some place, and immediately, there's a rescue team. People are rebuilding. It's amazing. It’s amazing, the resilience of these people,” Chernyak said.

Chernyak said she is hopeful the war will end soon but worries for what may come.

“It's hard for me to even allow myself to feel joy because I know how much there is suffering, and it's really close to home,” Chernyak said.

She said she hopes that people in America will not forget about what’s taking place in Ukraine.

“From any perspective, it doesn’t matter where you live. It’s absolutely terrifying that the bombs are dropping on civilian homes and destroying people who are completely innocent. How did they deserve it?” Chernyak asked.

Although her family is currently safe, Chernyak said her father did see a rocket fly over their home. She said her mother knits socks for Ukrainian soldiers, even in the dark, with a goal of getting at least one pair to each of them.