Winston Salem Times

A former Appalachian State University student and friends he met in Ukraine during a mission trip have been keeping in contact since the Russian invasion began.

Jeffrey Foster, a Wilkesboro resident, traveled to the Ukraine during college, a trip that he says still impacts his life, even years later.

"It’s really hard to tell you the feelings that I’ve got," Jeffrey Foster told WXII 12 News. "It’s breaking my heart, every night when I lay down and go to sleep, just the fact, knowing that I can’t just reach out and help them."

He has continued to keep in touch with friends he met in Ukraine, including Yevhennia, who asked that the news station not disclose her last name to protect her anonymity. Yevhennia recounts that she and her daughter have left their home in Kyiv due to increasing safety concerns arising from the armed conflict. The mother and daughter have sought shelter at a converted underground parking lot to take refuge from the Russian invasion.

"I still refuse to believe this is a full-blown attack, that they’re in Kyiv,” Yevhennia said in a Zoom call, according to WXII 12 News. "I’m devastated and we’re scared. Devastated."

Yevhennia says even though she wants to evacuate the city, it seems nearly impossible since so many panicked people are trying to leave, too, making her nervous.

“It’s just unbelievable and I still refuse to believe this, but it’s happening,” she told WX11 12 News. “Pray for us. Help us the way you can. Try to stop (the) Russians.”