As Western powers consider sanctions against Russia for the country’s military intervention in Ukraine, a North Texas Ukrainian heritage group in The Colony has managed to keep family members connected.
Chrystya Geremesz is the president of the Ukrainian American Society of Texas, a group celebrating the cultural heritage of the Eastern European country with many of its members having family living in Ukraine.
Geremesz said since Russia’s intervention in the Crimea region of the country, many of their members had to find a way to connect with the homeland and help those living there.
"A lot of the information we basically repost through Facebook or by emails and then we get together on regular basis to just discuss what going on Ukraine and also to plan any events where we can get some more focus," Geremesz said.
But Geremesz said for those living in the Crimea region there is a lot of confusion because they have also lost their connection to Western news feeds. She said they are being fed Russian news that spouts propaganda meant to divide the various ethnic groups. Geremesz said their group is also posting links to Western news feeds about what is really happening in their country.
"And it’s so unfortunate, but that is exactly what Putin is trying to do, he’s trying to create a rift between people and clearly that’s being done," Geremesz said. "Everybody's guessing what the truth is."
