Ukrainian couple living in Duluth shares heartbreak watching Russian invasion unfold

DULUTH, MN -- A Ukrainian couple living in Duluth spoke Thursday about the heartache they feel watching Russia invade their homeland.

Igor Kolomitsyn grew up Ukraine, but he came to Duluth with his wife Oksana in 1997 to work as a research chemist.

He said he comes from a large family and most of them still live in Ukraine, in and around the capital Kyiv.

He said he’s been up all night, constantly communicating with them using social media apps.

That’s been his only lifeline to know how they’re doing, and he’s worried that soon his family may not have internet access anymore.

Through chat and phone calls, family members told him that shortly the invasions, there was a rush on supplies.

“In the morning it was panicking, a lot of panicking. A lot of people were panic, rushed to the stores, tried to get food upfront, tried to get medicine upfront. I was trying to convince my sister to leave the area. She refused to leave the area. She said it’s our land. We’re going to stay on there,” Kolomitsyn said.

Kolomitsyn said he’s making contingency plans to communicate with his family members if the internet goes down.

He said he’s heard from many of his younger relatives who say they’re joining the Ukrainian military to help.

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