Ukrainian families need your help

RUSA LGBTQ+ is collecting donations to distribute directly to Ukrainian refugee families. Please contribute to support families featured on this page and other Ukrainian refugee families in need. Your donations make a direct impact!

Learn stories of Ukrainian refugees and donate to support their families.

Yuliia Yermakova / Kyiv

"We had a business and apartment in central Kyiv. On February 24, we all woke up to Kyiv being bombed. We spent a week in a bomb shelter near our house and hoped that this nightmare would end soon. But on March 3 we decided to evacuate. We got on a train that is meant to hold 40 people, but there were 150 people on board. While we were on the platform, we saw a missile fly by 80 meters from the train station, and the windows of this whole beautiful train station shattered…Now we are here in New York and raising money for an ambulance for wounded soldiers back home"

Katerina Medvedieva / Zaporozhye

"My mom and two kids made a long journey through Krakow, Amsterdam, Mexico City, and Tijuana to meet me in San Diego. When they first evacuated Zaporyzhe, they were not allowed to use cell-phones on the train so that the light could not be seen - because there were stories of trains with people being blown up. There were also moments of great stress when the kids were separated from my mom along the way and I could not reach any of them. We need financial support because the whole family is relying on me and it's very hard".

Inna Malamura / Vinnitsa

"February 25th was my daughter's 10th birthday – we were supposed to go all out to celebrate. But that became impossible. Just before that, the sirens started and bombs started falling. We quickly packed our belongings, took the necessary documents and passports, and evacuated. After a long journey through Poland, my youngest daughter and I made it to Coney Island through the United for Ukraine program on June 10".

Oleg Fulmes

Oleg is a 31-years-old person with a disability and relative of Inna Malamura. He was in Poland when the war started and was working there. Oleg was able to come to the United States through United for Ukraine. He needs help with finding work and social supports; he is deaf and has a speech disability. His hearing aids are broken, without which he cannot easily survive. He needs urgent help with these needs and others, including securing a mobile phone, TPS status, and more.

Anna / Odessa

"I used to live between two countries - Russia and Ukraine. I am from Odessa and worked at a film studio as a costume designer. When the war started, I was in Moscow. I packed my belongings and wanted to go to my parents in Odessa to pick them up from there. But I could not find a way to get into Ukraine. My sister lived in Poland and her visa was about to expire. She and I met in Turkey, went to Germany, then went to Mexico and crossed the US border with a few other people. We need help with healthcare, English language-learning, and getting settled in this community".

*All donations will go to these and other Ukrainian refugees who desperately need cash assistance

_________

RUSA LGBTQ+ is a US-based network of Russian-speaking LGBTQIA+ immigrants, their friends, allies, and loved ones. Formed in 2008, RUSA LGBTQ+ has welcomed many LGBTQ immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers from post-Soviet countries.