ARNOLD, Mo. (KMOX) - Kevin and Tiffany Kondracki adopted now 15-year-old Kira from an orphanage in Ukraine three years ago. They're mortified by the news, images and videos of what's happening to their daughter's home country in recent days.
"It kind of makes me sick to my stomach," Kevin says. "It's almost, since we lived there for three months, it almost feels like an attack on me. It's definitely attacking my daughter. I feel like it's home, so it's almost personal."
There are reports of hundreds of casualties since Russia invaded multiple Ukrainian cities with gunfire and explosions. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government.
Sitting in the way could be Kira's former orphanage and her home where her brother, who is mentally disabled, still lives. The orphanage lies between the countries two biggest cities, Kharkiv and the nation's capitol Kyiv. Tiffany says there are still more than a dozen children living there.
"I don't know what their plans are if the troops do get any closer to them, but they are, if you look at the map, they're right in the middle of it," Tiffany says. "Like there are so many attacks and bombings just circled all around them."
You can help support the orphanage by donating, here.
They've been getting bits of information back from family and friends still in Ukraine about the Russian invasion.
Kira had a message she hopes would reach her family back home. She spoke in Ukrainian, but the English translation is:
"Do not be afraid because God is with you. God will help you in all your situations that are happening nearby."
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