The Day – Two local Ukrainian women: ‘You can’t even imagine this’

East Lyme — Asked how much she is following the Russian invasion of her Ukrainian homeland, where her parents remain, Lia Mikhelson of Niantic makes a circle in the air with her finger, like the hand of a clock spinning around.

“Twenty-five hours a day,” she said. “Around the clock.”

Anna Fusscas, 38, of Old Lyme, sitting next to Mikhelson for an interview last week, said she is reluctant to check her screen time on her smartphone. She does. At 6 p.m. Thursday, the phone said she had been logged on for 13 hours that day.

The two women, who had not met prior to Thursday, discussed their situations and feelings during an interview Thursday at East Lyme High School, where Mikhelson is taking GED classes and studying for U.S. citizenship. As a three-year resident of the United States, she is not yet eligible but hopes to be ready in two years.

Mikhelson, 51, said at age 47 living in Odesa, Ukraine, “I met the romance of my life.” She and her husband immigrated to the United States and settled in East Lyme. She declined to discuss much personal family information. Her parents, both 70, live in Mykolaiv with their three cats, one dog and a parakeet. They were about 80 miles from the fighting as of Thursday.

She calls them every day at 2 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, which is 9 a.m. in Mykolaiv.

“So far, they are OK, but the people are worried,” Mikhelson said. “They try to have normal days, but they check social media (to get news). They are very frustrated.”

Fusscas, 38, met her husband, a U.S. citizen, in Ukraine. Their twin sons, now 13, were born there. Nearly 13 years ago, the couple moved their family to Old Lyme, where their daughter, now 11, was born. Fusscas’ mother lives with them in Old Lyme. Her mother has a ticket for a now canceled plan to visit her other daughter in Ukraine.

“Nobody was prepared for this,” Fusscas said. “You can’t even imagine this.”

She said her sister’s family will not leave their home city, Vinnitsa. Her sister is a doctor who works with babies and delivers pre- and postnatal care. Her sister’s husband joined the local defense force, called the “Local Protectors.” They have a 16-year-old daughter.

The outskirts of their city, where a military base is located, has been shelled at least twice, Fusscas said.

“She is in the basement of the hospital, delivering babies,” Fusscas said. “It’s unbelievable.”

She turned to her phone. Her sister has been sending videos. In one, she panned the room. Babies lying in makeshift beds were crying. The setting is dark, with dingy brick walls. There’s little air flow, Fusscas said, and it’s hot. The video shows one corner of the basement. “This is the ICU,” Fusscas said.

She calls her sister every day about 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, which is 11 p.m. in Vinnitsa. That’s the time when things should be quieting down, and her sister should have time to talk. Not always, though. Sometimes, she can only say, “I’m fine,” because the hospital is still so busy, Fusscas said.

Fusscas has friends who are fleeing to Poland. It’s a long journey, and she is worried about them.

The influence of social media

Fusscas and her daughter attended a vigil in honor of Ukraine on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, she wore a makeshift scarf she made. It’s just two long strips of fleece — one blue and one yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag — twisted together. She carried a second scarf.

“They say you can’t buy blue and yellow ribbons anywhere,” Fusscas said. “They’re all sold out.”

Both women said they are heartened by the support they have received locally and across the United States. Fusscas said friends gave her a bouquet of sunflowers, the Ukraine’s national flower and a major commercial crop for the country. When the invasion started, Mikhelson’s teachers at Adult Ed brought her a bouquet of yellow flowers, as well.

“All my friends in America sent moral support,” Mikhelson said. “They’ve been so kind. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. All my neighbors ask me every morning about Ukraine.”

The two women turned to the latest updates on their phones. The favorite platform for both is one that translates to “Flash” in English. It has constant streams of videos, photos, news briefs, air raid alerts and commentary. There’s a stream in Ukrainian and one in English.

One post Thursday described a video of a heroic Ukrainian air force pilot and warns that Russian TV and social media outlets will try to show that the pilot was a Russian hero. “DO NOT BELIEVE! The pilot is really ours, from the glorious 299th tactical aviation brigade.”

Photos showed captured Russian soldiers and closeups of long-expired tins of canned fish and meat the soldiers had to eat. Fusscas said the Russian prisoners are being treated well and are being fed with fresh food and cookies. Other posts warn that Russia is trying to shut down some social media outlets. Videos show damage to cities and civilian neighborhoods.

Fusscas and Mikhelson also check out Russian social media outlets to learn the Russian propaganda attack. “It’s like we’re walking on the moon, it’s so scary,” Fusscas said of the posts on such sites.

“I understand only now how powerful social media propaganda can be,” Mikhelson said.

“It’s all the evil West that’s doing this, they say,” Fusscas said.

Fusscas tries to fight back, she said. She quickly types out responses to misinformation and posts them. She estimated she has about 10 minutes before she is banned from the platform and has to find another way to get in and post more responses.

“I literally had a conversation with a guy today (on social media) that they (the Russians) are rescuing us!” she said. “I assure you; we do not need to be rescued from anything! Stop rescuing us!”

Another post, she said, denied that Russian forces were bombing civilian homes. It falsely claimed, “Those are not air strikes. They are your air conditioners exploding.”

Mikhelson called it “the legacy of the Soviet Union.” She recalled going to school as a youth in Soviet-controlled Ukraine. Every Tuesday was “political information” education, she said, to teach Soviet Union versions of world events.

Now in Russia, they are teaching a twisted version of Ukrainian history, Fusscas said: “Propaganda.”

There is one message the two women want to make clear to Americans: “Don’t hate Russian people living abroad. They are living here to get away from Putin,” Fusscas said of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mikhelson said she is afraid to contact her friend in Russia for his safety.

Fusscas said her close friend is Russian. She said the woman recently cut off ties with her own family in Russia because of their stance on the invasion.

“She calls me crying,” Fusscas said. “We have to talk about that.”

[email protected]