Tulsa Woman With Ukraine Ties Reacts To Recent Attacks

The Russian attacks on Ukraine are particularly hard for some Tulsa residents. Pam Ballard, CEO of the Community Service Council in Tulsa, has seen the impacts of these attacks up close.

Ballard has traveled to eastern Poland a couple of times, where she worked with Ukrainian mothers and their children who've fled their country.

The recent attacks in places like Kyiv, where civilians have been killed or injured, show Ballard that places that were initially thought to be safer spots, really aren't that safe anymore. Ballard said things have steadily gotten worse since the attacks began.

"Some of the moms I worked with have husbands who have been injured in battle, now, they know they don’t have homes to go back to, and it’s just getting worse," Ballard said. "You have more people who are being displaced and coming into Poland."

Ballard tries to keep in contact with the people she's worked with in Poland. While she hasn't spoken to the Ukrainians that she knows in the last few days, she has spoken to them since the last time she was in Poland, and Ballard said that these people are terrified.

"Even if they had a home left, if Russia is going to occupy that area, they know that they will never be safe to go back in," Ballard said. "So they will have to find a new home either in Poland or another country where they have family."

Ballard said this fight has changed the people she's come to know. One example is of a young girl that Ballard met, who Ballard said had a bright and bubbly personality. However, the next time Ballard saw her, the child had completely changed after having not seen her mother in months due to her not being able to escape Ukraine.