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In Kyiv for a year of war, a former Mass. couple stands strong

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Ukrainian couple Leon Ryrakhovsky and his wife Helen Chervitz lived in Swampscott for 15 years and became U.S. citizens. They have lived back in Ukraine for more than a decade and decided to stay through the war. They spoke to WBUR's All Things Considered over Zoom one day before the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. (Lynn Jolicoeur/WBUR
Ukrainian couple Leon Ryrakhovsky and his wife Helen Chervitz lived in Swampscott for 15 years and became U.S. citizens. They have lived back in Ukraine for more than a decade and decided to stay through the war. They spoke to WBUR's All Things Considered over Zoom one day before the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. (Lynn Jolicoeur/WBUR

Helen Chervitz and Leon Ryrakhovsky are originally from Ukraine but lived in Swampscott for 15 years. They raised a daughter there and became U.S. citizens. The couple then moved to New York for several years before going to Ukraine for Leon's investment business. They planned to stay for about a year, but ended up "stuck" there, as they said, due to the work. That was a decade ago.

Russian troops invaded Ukraine one year ago. Ryrakhovsky and Chervitz told WBUR's All Things Considered at that time that they had decided not to flee their Kyiv home. They're still there today.

"We have seen better days, but we are doing all right," Chervitz said over Zoom.

" Very good, considering," Ryrakhovsky added.

Some Russian missiles have landed near the couple's home, but they haven't been hurt.

A man carries a bouquet of flowers as he walks past metal anti-tank barriers in Maidan square in Kyiv, Ukraine on Valentine's Day on Feb. 14. (Tony Hicks/AP)
A man carries a bouquet of flowers as he walks past metal anti-tank barriers in Maidan square in Kyiv, Ukraine on Valentine's Day on Feb. 14. (Tony Hicks/AP)

"One exploded two blocks from our house, and all our windows got shattered and I saw smoke," Chervitz said. "I was doing my exercises on the balcony, and my neighbor looked up, and she said, 'Look, Helen, do you know what it is?' [And I said] 'Oh, just a bomb.' I was joking, but it was really two blocks [away]. ... That was as close as we got to explosions.

Despite the apparent danger, the couple said they're not afraid.

" Like a year ago, I still feel relatively safe," Ryrakhovsky said, "because I think that the probability of the missile getting into our window is extremely low."

There are frequent air raid sirens.

"These sirens, it's just like, for example, a loud music that somebody is playing nearby all the time," Ryrakhovsky said. "It disturbs me a little."

But they don't run for cover.

"We never went to [a] bomb shelter, because I would rather watch Netflix at home than being underground with babies crying and dogs and people, crowded," Chervitz said.

Helen Chervitz with some of the portable generators donated by U.S. synagogues in a drive she organized. (Courtesy Helen Chervitz)
Helen Chervitz with some of the portable generators donated by U.S. synagogues in a drive she organized. (Courtesy Helen Chervitz)

One of the biggest disruptions in daily life caused by the war is electricity blackouts, according to the couple. Russian forces have frequently attacked the Ukrainian power infrastructure.

"Usually [the blackouts] are scheduled, but there are a lot of emergency blackouts and

people are forced to set their alarm clocks at two [o'clock] in the morning to do laundry, to do some heating, to do some cooking ... because most of the households depend on electric appliances," Chervitz said. "And those who have gas stove, they host relatives and family and friends, and so they can cook, at least for the children."

With an important radio facility behind their home, the planned power outages are infrequent for them. But when they do lose power, they have "romantic candlelight dinners." Humor has helped them keep going.

A Kyiv resident who received a portable lanterns through Chervitz's donation effort. (Courtesy Helen Chervitz)
A Kyiv resident who received a portable lanterns through Chervitz's donation effort. (Courtesy Helen Chervitz)

Chervitz wanted to do something to help people who are struggling as a result of the loss of electricity and heat. She started reaching out to U.S. synagogues to request that they donate generators and other equipment.

"And I got some responses — not as many as I hoped would receive," Chervitz said. "But still, those appliances are coming and they keep coming, and people are so grateful. Some of them are literally crying, and some of them [are] saying they have never known such miracle-work appliances existed. And as one very nicely said, 'It does not just illuminate my [home], it illuminates my heart. It's so nice that people are helping.' Before having the [donated power sources], they were just sitting in the dark and cold."

The couple's grown daughter, who lives in the Greater Boston area, has asked them many times to come to safety in the U.S. But they said they've told her they have to stay in Ukraine because of Leon's business and concern for its employees. The couple worries about the impact on those families if the business were to suffer or collapse during the war.

Upon wrapping up the conversation around 8 p.m. Ukraine time, the couple was about to enjoy dinner and some wine. When the war started, Ryrakhovsky took up cooking — after never having done so before, according to his wife.

"So I never know what's for dinner," she said. "It's always surprising, and it's always delicious. So my life has changed for the better, actually."

This segment aired on February 23, 2023.

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Lynn Jolicoeur Twitter Producer/Reporter
Lynn Jolicoeur is the field producer for WBUR's All Things Considered. She also reports for the station's various local news broadcasts.

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Lisa Mullins Twitter Host, All Things Considered
Lisa Mullins is the voice of WBUR’s All Things Considered. She anchors the program, conducts interviews and reports from the field.

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