The Ukrainian community in Philadelphia is the second-largest in the United States. As members of the diaspora celebrated the holidays with a special Ukrainian version of “The Nutcracker,” they reflected on a year of worry and solidarity.
Rent prices in the western city of Lviv have nearly quadrupled in some cases since the war began, making it very difficult for displaced people fleeing war to find stable, affordable housing.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, medical workers have been concerned about the possibility of Russia using chemical agents against civilians. That hasn’t happened yet (none on official record) but a Syrian American nongovernmental organization is helping Ukrainian medical workers prepare for the worst.
In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and on the east of the country, museums and churches have already been targeted as Moscow escalates its bombardment of civilian areas. Meanwhile, the residents of Lviv race to ensure their city does not suffer the same fate.
The western city of Lviv is regarded as one of the safest parts of Ukraine, at least for now. On the first day of the invasion, an airport 80 miles southeast to Lviv was bombed by Russian forces but no fighting has occurred in the city itself.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine started more than seven years ago when Russia annexed the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula. Now, the two countries are at war in eastern Ukraine. The so-called “frozen conflict” has heated up again. Fighting is escalating in eastern Ukraine despite a ceasefire, and there have been reports of military buildup in Crimea and on the Russian side of the border. Host Carol Hills speaks with Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the commanding general of the US Army in Europe until 2017.
The Space of Synagogues memorial comes at a time when Ukraine attempts both to sort out its national identity and commemorate its Jewish past. Neither effort has been straightforward.
It’s been a year since Russia took over the Crimean region of Ukraine, sending thousands of people fleeing their homes. Among them are many Crimean Tatars, who have found surprisingly vibrant new lives in the city of Lviv, Ukraine.
Yurko Nazaruk opened a restaurant in Lviv, Ukraine that is designed to look like the sort of underground bunkers used by insurgents during World War II. It was so successful he opened one that's themed after the country's Jewish community, all but wiped out during the war, Lviv-born writer Leopold van Sacher Masoch, who lent his name to masochism. But not everyone is pleased.
An entrepreneur in Lviv, Ukraine has opened themed bars and restaurants which have provoked much criticism. Many regard them as offensive.