After spending significant time in Ukraine over the last few years, our son Kevin left Seattle last summer to move to Kyiv. He is a Computer Scientist and can easily move about the world in his profession. Kevin was in Kharkiv on business when the war began; on Thursday, February 24, at around 5 am, he was awakened by Russian missiles exploding near his hotel. Kevin had a very difficult decision to make—to stay in Ukraine or leave the country. He went back to Kyiv from Kharkiv to evacuate a friend. He had spoken to that friend when he stopped in Poltava, and she agreed to leave with him. However, when Kevin got to Kyiv, she refused to leave her homeland. This is a common story; many had opportunities to evacuate, but refused to do so. After loading his car, he decided to make his way to Romania. Kevin then headed toward the Siret border crossing in his rental car.
After driving for 28 hours, at times through towns being hit with artillery, he arrived in Chernivtsi where he dropped off his rental car with a friend of the rental car company’s owner. (The company doesn’t have offices in Chernivtsi.) Before leaving the rental car, he sorted through his possessions and threw everything that he could not carry into a dumpster. He got a taxi bound for the border with Romania, but because of the chaos,the taxi could not get him closer than 10km from the crossing. He then walked those last 10 kilometers to the Siret border crossing. After trying unsuccessfully to cross the border for over 8 hours, he encountered a group of Ukrainian Church volunteers offering assistance to those crossing the border. They invited him into their heated tent to warm himself. Kevin remembers their kindness: “Mom, they gave me a pastry! I remembered that I hadn’t eaten in 36 hours!” These wonderful, generous Ukrainian people of goodwill also gave Kevin a Bible and a bag of groceries.
Kevin encountered push-back at the border crossing as Ukrainian men of military age are not allowed to leave the country. In addition, there were accusations of fake passports. But, in the early hours of Sunday morning February 27, after more than 20 hours of waiting, Kevin passed through customs and immigration into Romania with his worldly possessions: his backpack with his laptop and devices, a roller bag with essential winter clothing, his new Bible, and his bag of donated groceries. A group of Romanian men whom Kevin had befriended on the Ukrainian side of the border gave him a ride to Suceava, where he caught a train to Bucharest.There, he found a small apartment where he recuperated from his ordeal. After a few days of rest, he flew to Warsaw, Poland, to set up his center of humanitarian relief. In the days since, Kevin has worked with family and friends across Europe and the US, as well as Loyola University Chicago and generous donors, to secure MREs for the Catholic University of Ukraine hospital in L’viv.
Kevin’s story is one of 3+ million escape stories, but it illustrates how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine touches us all. We learned yesterday that his friend is safe in Berlin! We bring a symbolic thank you to the congregation of Dormition of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Parish for the humanitarian assistance given to our son Kevin as he crossed the border into Romania. May God bless Ukraine!
By: Vicki Berger (Kevin’s Mom)