Ukrainians Visiting Tulsa Describe Current State Of Their Country

It is Katya Semenyuk, Vitaliy Orlov and Gleb Spivakov’s first time visiting Tulsa, and Karl Ahlgren has a lot of things planned for them.

“Just kind of get a picture of meeting everyday Tulsans,” he said. 

But it's not a typical vacation, they made a stop on their tour to look at medical supplies.

They live in Ukraine and see the horror of war firsthand.

“I am CCP, Casualty Collection Point, so we just drag them out of the field and that's where I step in,” said Katya.

She is part of a training team in a combat zone.

“The more the instructor can get to work and teach people how to survive, that is what I’m looking for,” she said. 

She says the three of them are also here to explain the reality of what's happening in their country. 

“I’ve heard a couple of questions; people have asked me ‘is it a little bit better? We heard it's a little bit better,’ …it’s wrong,” she said. 

Vitaliy hopes to create more partnerships and express gratitude throughout the visit.

“Thank churches, organizations that are standing with Ukraine,” he said. 

Because Gleb says those partnerships help them hold on.

“It's helping us to not lose hope, to realize we have brothers and sisters in America, it inspires, it gives hope again and again to not give up,” he said.

So while Tulsa may be far from the war, they say the support is critical.

The trio plan to stay in town until Tuesday before heading back to Ukraine.