Roman Shepeliev Worried 51视频 Family, Friends Facing 鈥楬orrible鈥� Russian Attack
Image by Ed Brennen
Sophomore electrical engineering major Roman Shepeliev, who moved from Ukraine to the U.S. in 2016, doesn't know what will happen to his family and friends back home now that Russia has invaded.
03/03/2022
By Ed Brennen
Born in Crimea and raised in Ukraine鈥檚 capital city of Kyiv, Shepeliev immigrated to the United States with his mom, Olga, as a teenager in 2016, settling in Andover, Massachusetts.
His father, Roman, and grandparents still live in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014, and most of his childhood friends are trapped in Ukraine, which has been under heavy assault from Vladimir Putin鈥檚 military forces since Feb. 24.
鈥淚t鈥檚 horrible. When the invasion started, I couldn鈥檛 believe it. Nobody knew what was happening,鈥� says Shepeliev, who has remained in contact with several friends in Kyiv, receiving text messages and photos from their makeshift bomb shelters.
鈥淥n one of the first nights, I was talking to my friend, and right before he went to sleep, he was like, 鈥業鈥檓 not sure if this is going to be my last message to you, but if it is, I love you. I鈥檒l text you in the morning if I wake up,鈥欌�� Shepeliev says. 鈥淲hen I saw that, it made me tear up. It was after midnight, and I couldn鈥檛 fall asleep.鈥�
Like millions of Ukrainians, Shepeliev鈥檚 family roots are intertwined with Russia, making the border war even more painful. His mom was born in Russia, and he has family in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi.
Image by courtesy
A young Roman Shepeliev walks with a family friend past a damaged truck during the Maidan protest movement in Kyiv in 2014, which led to the removal of Ukraine's former pro-Russian president. Shepeliev says the family friend is still in Kyiv.
鈥淣obody wants this,鈥� says Shepeliev, who has found it 鈥渉eartwarming鈥� to see anti-war protestors showing their support for Ukraine all over the world 鈥� including in Russia.
Although Shepeliev feels helpless from thousands of miles away 鈥� 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing I can do except pray,鈥� he says 鈥� he hopes to raise awareness of the crisis on campus.聽
In her聽statement of support聽for Ukraine, Chancellor Jacquie Moloney praised the resolve of the Ukrainian people 鈥� and also the courage of Russians who are speaking out against the attack.
鈥淥ur thoughts are with those living through this difficult time, as well as the members of the university community who have friends and loved ones in harm鈥檚 way,鈥� she said.
Shepeliev encourages people to 鈥渄onate whatever you feel you can, if you can.鈥� One local nonprofit that was started in 2015 by a Shepeliev family friend,聽, raised over $500,000 for Ukrainian relief efforts during the first week of the invasion.
While his family is not enduring violence in Crimea at the moment, Shepeliev says his father has sent him Instagram videos showing Russian tanks and soldiers in the streets.
Also, friends in Kyiv have shared conversations they鈥檝e had with friends serving in the Russian army.
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 even know what was happening,鈥� he says. 鈥淜ids my age, even younger, were clueless. They were just sent there and forced to follow commands.鈥�
Image by Ed Brennen
Roman Shepeliev attended a recent discussion on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, hosted by the Political Science Department at O'Leary Library.
As painful as it is for Shepeliev to see Russian forces killing civilians and destroying his homeland, he can鈥檛 turn away from coverage on TV and social media.
鈥淚 have to stay on top of the news to find out what鈥檚 happening to them,鈥� he says. 聽
He鈥檚 not surprised to see Ukrainian citizens putting up such an intense fight.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a line in our national anthem about fighting for our freedom,鈥� he says. 鈥淧eople in Ukraine always were fighters. It鈥檚 in our blood, I would say.鈥�
Shepeliev says it was difficult to live through Russia鈥檚 annexation of Crimea in 2014 鈥� an event that spurred his mom to move with him to the United States.聽
鈥淚 am very thankful to her for taking such a big risk and moving to a completely different environment,鈥� he says. 鈥淪he started everything from scratch so I can enjoy the benefits of American freedom.鈥澛犅�