'I just hope they're not going to die,' says Sault resident of parents in Ukraine

It’s been roughly two weeks since Volodymyr Sokolskyy’s parents, Vyacheslav and Larysa, fled from their home in the city of Kharkiv amid a barrage of bombing, shelling and rockets by Russian forces. 

“My city’s pretty big, and it’s getting shelled every day,” Sokolskyy said. 

The Sault Ste. Marie resident says his parents have since found refuge with family members in Kremenchuk, a city in central Ukraine where his mother was originally born. A handful of additional family members have also managed to evacuate Kharkiv within the past couple of days. 

“I just hope they’re not going to die,” said Sokolskyy of his parents. “I don’t know how to feel about it.

“I guess not feeling great about their safety…right now the city they’re in, they still have sirens going on, because sometimes planes are flying the rockets in their direction,” he continued. “So the sirens would alarm people, but so far, their city [has] been fine.” 

According to the United Nations, the invasion has so far driven more than 10 million people from their homes, almost a quarter of Ukraine's population. 

Thousands of civilians are presumed dead.  

Everyone Sokolskyy knows has left the northeastern city of Kharkiv, with the exception of one of his friends. She was nine months pregnant when Russia invaded, he said, and gave birth at the beginning of March. 

“They don’t want to leave now, because it’s hard with a baby,” he said.

In late February, Ukraine State Border Guard Service announced that male citizens ages 18 to 60 were banned from leaving Ukraine, Sokolskyy’s own father included. 

“They’re not going to go anywhere else…my father is 58 [years old], so he can’t leave the country,” he said.

Sokolskyy uses software messaging platforms like Telegram and Viber to communicate with his family daily.  

“I just hope that tomorrow, Russian army is just going to leave, and that’s it,” he said, although Sokoloskyy conceded that his desired outcome is "unrealistic."  

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that talks to end the fighting have continued by video. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would be prepared to consider waiving any bid by Ukraine to join NATO - which is a key Russian demand - in exchange for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security.

- with files from The Associated Press