The news started coming in overnight Wednesday: after weeks of military buildup on the Ukrainian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on the former Soviet Republic, now an independent democracy and home to more than 40 million people. On Thursday, those citizens of Ukraine—and most of the rest of the world—were in shock and terror, many fleeing for safety and all wondering how far this unprovoked attack might go.

Regina Appatova is an ESL educator at Aiken New Tech High School in Cincinnati, who grew up in Ukraine and lived in Russia. We asked her to help us understand the conflict, the enduring bonds between the two countries, and what it’s been like this week for Americans like her with roots and loved ones in Eastern Europe. “It’s a nightmare,” she says—and no one knows how much worse the situation might get, before Putin gets what he wants.

• Nico Luginbill, Walnut Hills H.S.
• Joyeuse Muhorakeye, Aiken New Tech H.S.
• Pawan Rai, Aiken H.S.
• Tasnim Saad, Aiken H.S.
• Syriene Djakata, Aiken H.S.
• Antonia R. Willis, Taft H.S.
• Bryan Aguilera, Virtual H.S.
• Lael Ingram, Walnut Hills H.S.

Conversation recorded on Zoom Feb. 24, 2022, with D&Z producer Julie Coppens

Map illustration by Kirill Makarov/Shutterstock

Here’s a link to NPR’s ongoing coverage of the Ukraine invasion: https://www.npr.org/live-updates/ukraine-russia-invasion-putin

Live updates from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/24/world/russia-ukraine-putin

And here’s a link to a story from WVXU reporter Becca Costello about how Cincinnati is responding to the crisis:

https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2022-02-24/aftab-pureval-cincinnati-help-resettling-ukrainian-refugees