AUSTIN, Texas — Helpless and heartbroken. That's how many Ukrainians living in Austin feel after Russian troops invaded their home country in late February.
Ukrainian Austinites are constantly worried their loved ones are next.
The KVUE Defenders discovered a Central Texas congressman partnered up with a Ukrainian software company in Austin to help raise awareness about Ukraine's fight to end the violence. They contacted the Defenders to help spread the word and to get help.
Inside SoftServe's conference room on a March afternoon, a Zoom meeting was underway.
Several staffers sat around a table, listening to the people on the screen.
"...when the war started and those five cities were bombarded...," one said.
Another on the Zoom call said, "we were, like, under the stress. We were afraid for our relatives. We didn't know what [was] going on. We wanted to check where they are, where they are in safe places."
The people on the screen are scattered throughout Ukraine and other European countries, each with their own experiences after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February.
They're sharing and inspiring colleagues in Austin.
"So this is something that truly helps us to get up in the morning. We are fighting not just for our lives, not simply for Ukraine and [its] standards. We are fighting for the whole free world," said another SoftServe colleague.
That's the message Softserve wants to spread.
The software development company was founded in Ukraine in 1993. Alex Chubay is its chief technology officer. Its U.S. headquarters is in Downtown Austin and it employs around 13,000 people worldwide.
"I have my parents there, and it's really hard, emotionally, to see," Chubay said.
Chubay's parents are safe, but thousands of SoftServe's employees in Ukraine are affected by the Russian invasion.
"I think we're [living] in a very bad historical moment right now in the world where we see the massacre happening. It's, like, [before] our eyes and we see that there is not much we can do about it in the world. That's what Ukrainians feel right now, that they're being left alone in this battle," Chubay said.
It's a battle Congressman Lloyd Doggett is now part of.
"We need to act now. It is continuing to push this administration to deliver the weapons. I don't believe that American pilots can be over Ukraine in the no-fly zone, but I don't understand why those MIG fighters are not there now," Congressman Doggett said.
In mid-March, the U.S. House passed the Suspending Energy Imports From Russia Act, a bill authored by Congressman Doggett. But the U.S. representative said more needs to be done.
"We must cry out for action from our government and we must be action ourselves," Congressman Doggett said.
SoftServe hosted a fundraiser on April 8 to help Ukrainians during the war. Tetiana Kushla hopes you can help.
"I'm heartbroken," Kushla said.
The Ukrainian native wished she could do more than just give money.
"We tried to help, but it's, I don't know, I always feel like it's not enough," Kushla said.
She would rather be there.
"It's the hardest ... But not being able to, like, really, really hug those people is probably the worst," Kushla said.
"You'd rather risk your life and be there than here?" KVUE's Jenni Lee asked Kushla.
"I would help them, hug them," she replied.
One of SoftServe's employees just joined the Ukrainian military and was part of the Zoom call. For safety reasons, his camera wasn't on and we're not using his name.
"I was woken up early, early in the morning with, like, broken windows and things like that," the military staffer said.
Even in war, he was still checking his emails. There's a phrase for this new reality, "war-life balance," instead of "work-life balance."
Halyna Semenova said if people can't donate to the fundraiser, there is something else they can do.
"I think what people can do is also educate themselves about the history, about why such things are happening now and how we can prevent it in future, and why it is actually so important that Ukraine does not quit, persevere and eventually wins," Semenova said.
PHOTOS: SoftServe Stands with Ukraine
SoftServe's motto is "For the Future," fitting as the company tries to bring attention to a war that is affecting so many futures.
SoftServe's April 8 fundraiser was held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at its Downtown Austin location. Rep. Lloyd Doggett was in attendance, providing updates on the final passage of his Russia sanctions and oil ban legislation Thursday, and on the bipartisan effort to "cut red tape" from Ukrainians seeking refuge in the U.S.
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