KYIV, Ukraine – Every February seems difficult for Julia Bowe. It was the month she had to leave her home in 2014 after Russian troops annexed her home in Crimea and pro-Moscow separatists took control of parts of eastern Ukraine.
But this February was so painful that Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s borders and the United States and its allies warned that an invasion was imminent. On Friday, President Biden called for a diplomatic solution. russian president vladimir v said he believed that putin had made the final decision to invade It should target Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, within a week.
US officials say 190,000 Russian troops and members of aligned militias have been deployed near the border and in separatist-controlled eastern areas. In the east, separatist leaders have called for mass evacuations and said the Ukrainian military is planning a full-scale offensive.
The crisis has left many Ukrainians behind, including Ms. Poe, an artist. She was planning an exhibition in western Ukraine, but forgot about it until the last minute due to the stress of the Russian troop structure.
She decided to leave, but began to worry that if the bad circumstances of the invasion came true, she would be trapped in the western city of Liv for a long time.
“I read the news and said, ‘How would I do if there was a cat here?’ With that in mind, Ms Poe, 36, said: “Cancel everything. The next day she calmed down and I booked again.
Ms. Poe said her background made it difficult to be a believer. “If you are from Crimea and have already lost your home, you understand that anything is possible,” she said.
In Kiev, there is a wind of falsehood on the situation and a firm resolution. Despite the eight-year simmering conflict with separatists in the east, many Ukrainians continued to make progress.
But recent warnings from the White House have had a powerful effect, although the Ukrainian government has tried to encourage people to panic.
Writer Anna Kovaliova, with three young children, moved with her family from Kiev to Lviv on Sunday. She did so after the US embassy said she would change her operations there.
Ms. Kovaliova, 29, said in an interview: “We temporarily moved because we really panicked in Kiev.”
“Elviv’s atmosphere is completely different,” he said. “You don’t have to worry so much here. Also, a lot of people like us come here from Kiev, mostly with children, they come for a couple of weeks to spend uncertain times.
At least one school in Ukraine tried to reassure parents that if phone service went down, they would send messages to make sure their children were in school.
Reports said the school had foundations and could be used as a shelter for children during the attack. Some elementary schools held exercises to prepare students for the potential of bombing.