POLTAVA OBLAST, Ukraine — "війни" is pronounced 'vin-leh.'
That's roughly the Ukrainian word for 'war,' and it wasn't a word that an English teacher from Knoxville hoped to ever use. But Wednesday, Russia invaded the country with shelling and troops.
"Around 5:30 this morning, there were military jets flying low over the city, either going from west to east or going from east to west," said Terrance McKracken, who left Knoxville around 5 years ago to teach English in Poltava. "Later on, I saw a pool of black smoke. So, something had been hit. Something had exploded."
It's a city in Ukraine that is about 200 miles away from its capital, Kyiv. Poltava is also further inland than the city, lying near the western side of the country. The signs of battle left him and his neighbors on edge, McKracken said.
Poltava is one of the cities that was targeted by strikes, according to several reports. Despite the signs of battle, he said he is still going about his life. After the attacks, he said he even took a trip to the grocery store.
"Many people were passing me and they had food bags. Some of them had a lot of food," he said. "People I know and friends of mine are quite upset about this and quite stressed out, and they don't know what they want to do."
Although the invasion may scare him and his neighbors, McKracken said he has no plans on leaving. Yet, he is still preparing in case the situation takes a turn and becomes worse.
"One of the things I did today was pack my 'worry bag,'" he said. "Documents and a change of clothes. And I hope I don't have to use it."