Irena Bessmertnaya, a Ukrainian woman from Kherson, opened up to NBC 6 Wednesday about Russia’s invasion into her hometown.
Russian state media claims Kherson has fallen under its control.
“All of my family is there. My mom texted me that there were gunshots right next to her windows. Bullets flying into the people’s windows. It’s very bad,” she said.
Bessmertnaya also shared videos with NBC 6 sent to her from loved ones in Kherson.
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RUSSIA-URKAINE CRISIS
The videos show an airstrike, a priest praying in downtown Kherson, and a smoldering Russian tank.
While U.S. and Ukrainian military officials deny that Kherson has fallen to Russia, Bessmertnaya says her city is suffering.
“I can see all the people whom I know, they’re struggling,” she said. “Some of them already got killed and it is horrible.”
She was among dozens of demonstrators in Aventura Wednesday.
“Nobody’s safe there. Nobody’s safe there,” said demonstrator Ilia Arunashvili. “The Russian army, they’re killing everyone. They’re killing kids. They’re killing women. They’re killing the old people. They don’t care. They’re on a mission.”
The rally was co-organized by Ukrainian and Russian demonstrators alike.
It's a rally of unity and solidarity, said organizer Natalia Chernysh.
Chernysh says she was born and raised in the former USSR, and now has family members in both Ukraine and Russia.
“It feels like a crime is happening,” said Chernysh. “When we were born in the Soviet Union, we were told that we were brother nations. And now we see how much hate’s grown.”
Demonstrators say they’re taking to the streets in South Florida, for the voiceless a world away in Ukraine.
“The Russian military is robbing our grocery shops, our grocery shops are empty. Pharmacies don’t have any medicine,” said Bessmertnaya. “... And Putin, I don’t know what he was thinking to do such a thing to us. We don’t want war. We don’t hate Russians.”
