For LIers with ties to Ukraine, 'It's very sad to see your family go through this'

While the Leteri family of Fort Salonga watches news footage of explosions in Ukraine, they said they are also communicating with family there, some who have taken up arms and others who have sought shelter underground.

Anna Leteri, 72, said she has some 16 relatives living there in the city of Lviv, about 300 miles from the capital of Kyiv.

One relative, Mikhailo "Misha" Mosiy, is in the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Force fighting the Russians. Other men in her family — mostly second cousins — also have taken up arms. The women and young children are huddled in underground areas, she said.

"It's very sad to see your family go through this," said Anna, who came to the United States from Germany when she was 3 years old. Choking back tears, she added, "It's very disturbing to see this on TV. It's very sad."

Anna's daughter, Sophia, said she met some of the relatives during a trip to Europe in 2019. She's been exchanging messages with them through Instagram. She befriended Ukrainian cousins Svitlana, Oksana, Maria and Ivanna during the trip.

"They're praying. They say, 'Keep us in your thoughts,' " said Sophia, 32, also of Fort Salonga. They also say, "Ukraine needs to have its skies be secure."

The messages contain the hashtag #StandwithUkraine, she said. The cousins also ask the NATO alliance to come and help them.

Anna's husband, Tony, said his family starts every day watching the news for updates on the Russian invasion. That's how they end every day as well, he said.

The family has watched TV footage from Lviv, which is the largest city in western Ukraine and close to the border to Poland, a member of NATO.

Air raid sirens have sounded in the city. Local authorities have urged residents to take cover and go to nearby bomb shelters, according to news reports.

The United States and other diplomatic missions have moved their operations to Lviv, news reports said. Several security checkpoints were set up around Lviv on Saturday, CNN reported.

Tony and Anna Leteri recently celebrated their 54th Valentine's Day, he said. They have kept in touch with the Ukrainian relatives over the years through letters and the relatives' sporadic visits to them in the United States.

The warfare in Ukraine reminded Tony of scenes from World War II, when "people were leaving home and didn't know if family members were coming home."

His daughter said, "It's bad. It's horrible. We feel like we can't do anything from where we're sitting."

Her mother said she's hoping the fighting stops soon.

"I just hope it gets resolved, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin doesn't kill everyone," Anna Leteri said.

By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.comScraigo

Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.