Sydney’s Ukrainian community prays for peace as Russian attack intensifies

Two Sydney sisters have broken down, fearing for their friends and family in Ukraine, after their cousin sent terrifying footage of a missile attack just metres from his home.

Two heartbroken Sydney sisters say they haven’t been able to speak to their Ukrainian cousin after he sent them a terrifying video of a Russian missile flying over his backyard and hitting the building next door.

Emily Ilkiw and Melissa Rohozynsky broke down in tears as they prayed for peace at a church service for Ukraine on Friday, just hours after Russian forces invaded their cousin’s town of Chornobaivka.

Just prior to the service, Ms Ilkiw was sent a video of a missile crashing into the building next door to her cousin Dmitriy Novobranets, who had converted a basement into a safety bunker for he and their great aunt Khrestina.

Ruslan Sovinsky, Emily Ilkiw holding daughter Bronte, Melissa Rohozynsky with daughter Kaia and Olexa Matiouk at the prayer service for Ukraine on Friday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“He sent a video of a missile coming right into the building next door, it’s so distressing to watch that, ask if they’re okay and get no response back,” she said.

“Not being able to talk to them and knowing what they’re going through is absolutely heartbreaking. We are so upset.”

Pictures of the basement showed their family had stored water and supplies, as well as set up makeshift beds, in order to stay say from Russian forces.

Ms Ilkiw and Ms Rohozynsky said they felt helpless here in Australia, knowing their friends and family’s lives were at risk due to Russia’s “evil” attacks on their home country.

Emily and Melissa’s relatives bunkering down in Ukraine.

Dmitriy Novobranets in Ukraine sent this video to his cousins in Sydney of Russian fighter jets bombing near their home.

Dimitry Novobranets seeks shelter with family in Ukraine.

By Friday afternoon, Ukraine said at least 40 soldiers had died in more than 30 targeted strikes on civilian and military infrastructure and 203 attacks throughout the country.

“We feel really helpless, we have so much love for our culture and our family is hurting, our friends are hurting and we are hurting,” Ms Rohozynsky said.

“We just want peace, we just want them to have the right to feel safe. They are not dangerous, they are not harmful.”

Olena Iwanec held by her mother Nadia Garan during the service. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

During the church service, which was held in Lidcombe, Sydney’s Ukrainian community prayed and cried for their people back home, some of whom have managed to flee and seek refuge.

Andrew Mencinsky, a member of the Ukrainian Council of NSW, said his niece Pixie Shmigel had made it to Poland, after fleeing from Kyiv on Thursday.

With planes shut down and invasion announced, she managed to hire a car service and drove straight to the Polish border.

“My grandparents fled the Red Army in 1945 and now in 2022 my family is fleeing again,” Mr Mencinsky.

“It is incomprehensible that this is happening again in this day and age.”

Nadia Garan cried as she held her one-year-old daughter Olena during the service, saying it wasn’t fair her daughter would grow up hearing about the attacks on her country.

“I was here with my own parents when I was a child and now I have to bring my own kids to pray for peace- that’s not okay,” she said.

“We shouldn’t have to do this again.”

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