COOPER CITY, Fla. – So many have been left in awe with the courage and bravery in the men and women who have stayed behind in Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.
On Wednesday, some of that same bravery and courage was on display in two men at a Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Cooper City.
As tens of thousands try to escape the war in Ukraine, two South Florida men are about to go there, straight into harm’s way.
They are 57-year-old Vasil Zaverukha, who is originally from Ukraine, and 38-year-old Beka Gubeladze, who is from Georgia, a country once part of the Soviet Union.
“They’re fighting everyone’s fight right now, so we cannot just leave them alone over there, you know?” said Gubeladze.
“At this moment when I’m thinking about Ukraine, I feel pain, and the more I watch, the more I watch what’s going on in Ukraine, I also feel a lot of anger,” Zaverukha said in Ukrainian.
Their anger is over the suffering and death imposed on the people of Ukraine, especially the children.
It’s why the men say they want to join the war and the fight against Russia.
“It’s not about the Ukraine anymore, guys. Everybody has to understand, the whole world has to understand this. It’s not about the Ukraine’s freedom anymore. It’s about us, it’s about Ukrainians, Georgians, Americans -- it doesn’t matter who you are. It’s about everyone around the world,” said Gubeladze.
Both of the men are fathers.
They say leaving loved ones behind makes this likely the hardest decision they’ve ever made.
For them, it’s about fighting for everyone, not just for Ukraine.