The 21st Show

Family’s account of fleeing Ukraine and landing in Illinois

Produced by Christine Hatfield
 
Tamila Pyhyda cries during the exhumation of her husband Serhii Pyhyda who was killed by Russian forces in the recently retaken town of Vysokopillya, Ukraine, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Russian invaders left behind all sorts of trickery as they fled the southern city to jubilation across Ukraine a month ago, and continue to strike it from afar. Life in Kherson is still far from back to normal.

Tamila Pyhyda cries during the exhumation of her husband Serhii Pyhyda who was killed by Russian forces in the recently retaken town of Vysokopillya, Ukraine, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Russian invaders left behind all sorts of trickery as they fled the southern city to jubilation across Ukraine a month ago, and continue to strike it from afar. Life in Kherson is still far from back to normal. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

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Since the start of Russia's invasion and war against Ukraine in February 2022, 16 million people have fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations. Meanwhile, there have been more than 6,000 confirmed civilian casualties. We first heard from Maryna Teplova in March as her family fled Ukraine. We spoke with her again in August. She’s a doctoral student in English at Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal. She is originally from the east-central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Hear Teplova's March 2022 interview here.

Hear Teplova's August 2022 interview here.

Guest:

Maryna Teplova

Native of Dnipro, Ukraine | Doctoral Student in English at Illinois State University