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"We will stay and fight" | Family with ties to Knoxville plans to stay in Ukraine as many leave the country

A Knoxville woman, Tetyana Miller, regularly talks with her parents who live in Ukraine. They live in a village about 20 miles outside of Kyiv.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Russian invasion of Ukraine is resonating deep with many Americans. In Knoxville, a woman with Ukrainian roots is feeling the weight of the impending war.

Tetyana Miller moved to the United States in 2009. She got married and had a son named Leo. Since arriving in the U.S. she said she's adjusted to the American way of life. However, her parents are still in Ukraine.

Tetyana spent Thursday morning looking through videos of the Russian bombings and helicopters flying through the city. She said she still can't believe it's happening.

"I really didn't believe it. It's a shock. It's a big, big shock," Tetyana said.

Tetyana's parents live in a village about 20 miles from the city of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Thursday night, they could feel the effects of the invasion.

"They heard the explosions, but also they heard that the building was shaking. And then they realized that this is a war," Tetyana said.

When Tetyana got up in the morning and saw the news, she called her parents. Since then, she's been checking up on them every few hours.

"I would love for them to leave Ukraine, just because they're my parents and my biggest desire for them is to be alive and safe," Tetyana said. "But I respect very much their decision to stay."

Many Ukrainian families started to flee the country after the invasion. 

Credit: WBIR

But, Tetyana's parents won't leave. They want to stay and fight for their country. Her father is part of the civilian army. They patrol the streets and bridges to defend their village.

Tetyana called her father over Facetime, and he explained the army's confidence in being able to defend their livelihood.

"We will stay and fight," he said. "We are calm and we believe in our victory."

However, he never thought it would come to this point. The conversation about the possibility of war had been going on for years and many Ukrainians grew to believe it was more of a threat than an actuality. 

"We thought it was a political game. It was a way of pushing Ukraine to make decisions that would benefit Putin and Russia," Tetyana said. "We didn't think he would actually destroy our country."

Now that Russia has invaded, Tetyana and her family are saying prayers for peace.

"I want my family, I want my friends, I want their children and I want their parents to be alive. This is the biggest hope for me," Tetyana said.

She hopes that people who have no Russian or Ukrainian heritage can still feel impacted by the impending war. 

"There is much more to it. It's not just Ukrainian people. It's not just Russian people. It's also American people. I'm American. I have an American passport. I pay my taxes. I love this country. But I am affected because my mom and my dad are still there," Tetyana said. "If you have any way to vocalize and to stand against the war, please do that. Please put pressure on your government, please tell them that that's not what you want."

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