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CityAndStateNY.com
March 7, 2022
A Q&A with New York City Council Member
Inna Vernikov By Sara Dorn
This must be a very emotional time for you. How are you feeling personally? I’m feeling extremely sad, frustrated and angry. I’m trying to do the best that I can from where I’m sitting right now. I think (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has gone completely off the wall. He was always a tyrant, but I think he’s absolutely insane at this point. He’s trying to bring back the Soviet Union. I’m afraid that if he takes over the entire Ukraine, he is going to go further, starting with the Baltic countries. He believes those places are an extension of Russia. He wants to unite them and install a puppet government in these places. The Ukrainian people do not want to live in the Soviet Union again. They want freedom. They want to have Western values. What are some of the specific efforts that you’re involved in now?
I just had a call with Rep. (Nicole) Malliotakis to discuss what we can do to give people clarity about their refugee status if they’re located in Ukraine and what they need to do to get out. These matters will have to be taken up by Congress members and their federal partners. All we can do is guide concerned family members of Ukrainians to let them know which Congress persons to reach out to. In terms of humanitarian aid, we’ve been getting a lot of calls from people who want to donate supplies and money. I know from speaking to people on the ground who have set up some refugee camps that the main issue they’re having right now is supplies. There are supplies that are located on certain borders, like in Poland, but they’re having a hard time releasing them. I’m organizing a drive through the Jewish emergency medical services nonprofit Hatzalah for supplies that will
WILLIAM ALATRISTE/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
She has become a prominent Ukrainian voice in New York, but she hasn’t wavered in her support of Trump.
