6 MARCH 3, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Ridgewood small business owner concerned for
friends, family amid Russian invasion of Ukraine
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
After Russia launched a fullscale
invasion of Ukraine,
Queens business owner Stepan
Rogulskyi, of Maspeth, is constantly
receiving updates from his friends
and family back home who are caught
in the middle of the war.
Rogulskyi, a native Ukrainian who
immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 in
pursuit of a better life, owns Varenyk
House, a restaurant located at 67-14
Fresh Pond Rd. in Ridgewood that
serves Ukrainian and eastern European
food. He told QNS how he tries to
stay in contact with his family multiple
times throughout the day to make sure
they are safe.
“My mother is stressed right now
and when they turn on the TV it’s
only war,” Rogulskyi said. “She is
worried that anything can happen at
any moment.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin
announced that he had “decided to
conduct a special military operation”
to protect eastern Ukraine’s Donbas
region, two days aft er recognizing the
“People’s Republics” of Donetsk and
Luhansk, also known as the Donbas
region, as independent.
The conflict in eastern Ukraine
started in 2014, according to the
International Crisis Group, and has
killed over 14,000 people. The war
pits Ukrainian government forces
against Russia-backed separatists for
control over much of the two heavily
industrialized regions of Donetsk and
Luhansk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy has declared martial law,
urging citizens to not panic as Russia
launches military strikes.
Rogulskyi’s mother, father, and two
brothers reside in Truskavets in western
Ukraine, while his grandparents
live in a village nearby.
Rogulskyi, whose restaurant serves
Ukrainian and eastern European food,
told QNS that he hasn’t slept much
since the invasion began, but wanted
to continue working.
“Last night, I only slept two hours
and I came in to work because I still
have a job to do,” Rogulskyi said.
Rogulskyi checks daily updates on
social media and the Ukrainian news
media’s coverage on the war.
“Right now, all Russian TV news
coverage is showing that Ukraine is
bombing themselves,” Rogulskyi said.
“The situation changes very quickly.
One hour, they’re saying that a small
city in one region is occupied with Russian
troops, and am hearing an hour
later that Ukraine has defended and
took it back.”
During work, Rogulskyi received
Stepan Rogulskyi is a native Ukrainian who immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 in pursuit of a better life. He owns a
restaurant, Varenyk House, located at 67-14 Fresh Pond Rd., that serves Ukrainian and eastern European food.
Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
prayers and support from clients
who came into the restaurant. He is
asking for Americans and Russians
to come out and rally against the war
and stand in solidarity with the people
of Ukraine.
“What we have in the U.S. is human
dignity and if they want to
show what they stand for, which is
freedom and human rights, then
they must do something more than
just sanctions,” Rogulskyi said. “The
Ukrainians will never agree to any
kind of contract with that killer
Putin. We are not gonna stay on
our knees and we have nothing to
lose besides our freedom.”
“The Ukranians’ vision is changing
and we know why we live, what we
want. We want to build up our country,
and soon the sun will shine over
Ukraine,” Rogulskyi added.
Calling Russia’s invasion an “unprovoked
and unjustifi ed” attack against
Ukraine, President Joe Biden issued a
statement saying, “President Putin has
chosen a premeditated war that will
bring a catastrophic loss of life and
human suff ering.”
“Russia alone is responsible for the
death and destruction this attack will
bring, and the United States and its
allies and partners will respond in a
united and divisive way. The world
will hold Russia accountable,” Biden
said.
The president met with leaders of
the G7 Summit and authorized a new
round of sanctions and limitations
in response to Putin’s war of choice
against Ukraine.
Queens lawmakers have taken to
social media to express their concern
and support for the Ukrainian community
in the borough and abroad.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams
tweeted, “As we watch Russia attack
Ukraine, my heart goes out to the
Ukrainian people and our Ukrainian
communities throughout New York
City. All war is heartbreaking, and
this one is already no diff erent. We
stand in solidarity with our Ukrainian
neighbors and pray for peace.”
Aft er visiting Kyiv and other areas
of Ukraine last year on a mission trip,
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards said the “beauty of the country
was matched only by the strength
and kindness of its people.”
Richards condemned Putin’s
invasion, saying it is “pointless and
heinous.”
“His government must pay dearly
for its attack on its free, democratic
neighbor and the people of Ukraine.
To our Russian American community
in Queens, we know this is not your
war. We stand with you against Putin’s
violence and evil,” Richards tweeted.
In a statement, Congressman Tom
Suozzi said Putin’s illegitimate and unprovoked
attack in Ukraine demands a
united strong response from the world
community.
“Putin cannot be appeased. We must
summon strength. ‘The veneer of civilization
is paper thin. We are its guardians,
and we cannot rest,’ said Tom
Lantos, former member of Congress
and Holocaust survivor,” Suozzi said.
Congresswoman Grace Meng
said she is praying for the people of
Ukraine in their defense of democracy
and freedom.
“Putin’s unprovoked attack against
#Ukraine is outrageous & we and our
allies must immediately hold him
accountable for this unacceptable aggression,”
Meng tweeted.
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