(WHDH)– A former UMass Boston student living in Kyiv spoke with 7NEWS about fleeing the Ukrainian capital and leaving some loved ones behind.
In a matter of moments, Sergey Tarnopolsky said the place he has called home for 26 years became a war zone.
“It was terrifying to wake up to bomb explosions and see my sister break into tears and people just panicking,” he said. “There are things you never expect to experience in your life. I never thought I would experience bomb attacks.”
He has been back in Ukraine since he graduated in 2018 and this past week he has been working remotely from bomb shelters and basements to try to start a non-profit to help Ukrainians out of work as air sirens go off overhead.
“You can feel that kind of panicky atmosphere in the air,” he explained.
Now, in a safe location in Lutsk, Ukraine, Sergey Tarnopolsky said he remembers the moments he had to leave his grandmother behind in Kyiv. She had just had surgery and could not make the trip west so he left her with a friend who was able to escort her to a safer location just outside the capital city.
“We, I guess, realized it could be the last time we see each other because it’s war and you never know,” he said.
Tarnopolsky and his girlfriend fled on Thursday and dropped his sister at the Polish border.
Like many Ukrainians, he said he never thought the buildup of Russian troops at the border would actually turn to a full-scale invasion. Now, as he watches Ukrainian soldiers in the streets, he said he is prouder than ever to be home.
“I already accepted this fact that we are in martial law and people die every day. A bomb could hit the building I’m in right now every minute. The weird thing is that I’m not scared of that anymore,” he said.
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