Soldier from Kharkiv visits Cincinnati in memory of the war in Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier is in Cincinnati this week, sharing his wartime experiences. Denys Yaroslavskyi of Kharkiv says there are serious concerns about whether Cincinnati’s sister city will survive the winter. He spoke to WVXU Monday afternoon through a translator, Alexander Eltin.

“We know about the Russian plans. They want to land a final blow in November and shut down our electricity,” he says. “The power outages will also put the entire water supply and sewage systems out of action.”

According to Yaroslavsky, the Russian strategy was to expel civilians from a city and then raze it to the ground.

He says he understands that and why the rest of the world may be paying attention to other issues now, after nearly 29 months of fighting in Ukraine. And he says he understands that politicians may have difficulty explaining to voters why the U.S. should support Ukraine.

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“Just as the Americans once fought for their independence, Ukraine decided to preserve its independence from Russia,” he says. “Americans respect the concept of fighting for freedom and democracy. And because we are fighting this fight, we must face what lies ahead.”

Yaroslavsky says he just wants his country to continue to exist.

He is the commander of the 57th Brigade and says he not only had to defend his hometown, but also fight to recapture his house from the Russian soldiers. “So I had to do everything I could to get my house back, and that’s what I did. And I’m very grateful for the American help and my American friends who fought alongside me.”

Yaroslavskyi says a man from Ohio helped him retake his house. He says he fought alongside volunteers from Brazil, Russia and the United States.

As a guest of the Cincinnati-Kharkiv twin town partnership, Yaroslavl will be in Cincinnati until Wednesday to gather support for Kharkiv.