Ukranian UW student follows invasion from Laramie

LARAMIE — When Anastasiia Pereverten traveled to the University of Wyoming from Ukraine last month to study abroad, she and her parents discussed the possibility of a Russian invasion into their home country.

They decided that if it were to happen, Pereverten would do her best where she was far from home and continue with her education.

Now that Russian military forces are invading Ukraine, there isn’t an option to return home. For the past week, the UW cultural studies student has watched from afar as explosions erupted just a 5-minute walk from her home in Kyiv, the nation’s capitol.

“I didn’t sleep for a second night chatting with (friends), checking with my classmates, with my family obviously,” Pereverten said Friday afternoon after Russian attacks on the capital city began.

Making calls home can be difficult because of the nine-hour time difference, but she has at least been able to stay updated about where her family members are as news of airstrikes is reported, along with receiving what are nearly minute-to-minute updates from the Ukrainian government.

Pereverten has a video of an aircraft explosion over the house where her grandfather used to live. Driving in her hometown has become life-threatening with Russian military vehicles attacking civilian cars.

As she watches from thousands of miles away, Pereverten and the world watch as Ukrainian citizens put up a stalwart fight.

“Everyone is willing to defend their cities,” said an emotional, patriotic Pereverten of her friends and family. “No one is leaving.”

Some of her friends have become part of district defense groups. The Ukrainian government is giving rifles to citizens or teaching them to make Molotov cocktails to defend their country.

“Ukrainians are aware of the fact that they are to fight for themselves,” Pereverten said. “No one from the international community is really helping. Ukrainian military service, everyone there is a hero now. We are so united and organized.”

From Wyoming, Pereverten is working to support her home country by spreading awareness about the war and the ways people here can help Ukrainian defense efforts.

“I will never get exhausted of explaining the situation, breaking it down and supporting our army,” she said.

Pereverten said that she is obviously not OK and has been emotional over the past few days on campus.

The night the attacks on Kyiv began, Pereverten stayed up writing to UW President Ed Seidel outlining ways the university community could help Ukraine. She also created stickers with the Ukraine flag and the mantra “Glory to Ukraine” to share with others as a way to show solidarity.

She spent Friday asking three offices on campus to fix phrasing in their messages about the war so they could be as accurate as possible.

“Because of this poor background of knowledge (in the United States) of what’s going on in Europe and what’s going in my country, it’s more and more (important) for me to share information correctly,” Pereverten said.

Some American media are reporting on the war as a “conflict” or “threat of war,” but that is inaccurate, Pereverten said. The war didn’t start last week, but eight years ago when Russia occupied Crimea and Donbas.

“Russia is killing Ukrainian people,” Pereverten said. “They are bombing hospitals and buildings where people live. They are also using weapons that are illegal to use, violating the Geneva Conventions (and) violating international law.”

She said Americans could make a difference by reading reliable sources of information and using correct vocabulary.

They also can donate to the Ukrainian army, attend protests and write to their government representatives requesting support for Ukraine. Though posting on social media doesn’t do much to help, Pereverten said people could tag governments and international organizations to give their words more weight.

“No one in Ukraine is safe,” Pereverten said. “But we prefer not panicking. We prefer helping (with) actions.”

On Saturday, Pereverten attended a rally for Ukraine at the Colorado Capitol in Denver with Laramie residents Katherine Fitch and Alan Gonzales-Willert.

“It’s a simple way that I can show Ukrainians I support them,” Fitch said of the protest. “It’s also something they’ve asked me to do.”

Fitch and Gonzales-Willert lived in Ukraine from 2016-2020 while serving in the Peace Corps. Though they had just met Pereverten, the three quickly bonded over their shared experiences and desire to help the nation.

“It feels really isolating to have this experience in Ukraine, to feel the way that I feel about this situation (and) to not really have anyone to talk to about it with,” Fitch said.

She said a lack of knowledge in the United States about Eastern European history is a fault of the American education system. Many students don’t learn in-depth history about the Soviet Union or The Holodomor, a Soviet-induced famine that started in 1932 that killed about 3.9 million Ukrainians.

Fitch suggested that Americans first should get informed about what’s going on today in the region, then look for ways to help. At UW, Pereverten plans to continue her advocacy as one of 17 Ukrainian exchange students participating in the same study abroad program at universities across the United States.

“This war is not like a local or regional war that you can just skip on your Instagram,” Pereverten said. “That’s something that affects the whole balance in the world. (It’s a) huge threat and danger for the whole of Europe.”

 

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