WATCH: Man describes sheltering in Ukraine during invasion; others express worry for loved ones
Thomas Knapp moved from Sacramento, California, to Pechers'kyi District in Kyiv, Ukraine, five months ago – never imagining that he'd now be sheltering at home, days after the Russia invasion started.
Knapp spoke to sister station KCRA via Zoom on Friday. He explained he's been woken up by explosions every night – a completely different scene from one week ago when he was out sharing meals with friends.
"When I went out earlier, grocery stores were closed, pharmacies were closed – they're supposed to be open but everything is closed right now," he said.
Now, the lively Kyiv he knew looks empty as sirens ring oftentimes throughout the day.
Knapp shared videos and photos he's taken of Kyiv over the past few days with KCRA.
"It's a big, big city [Kyiv] and to see it so quiet is kind of eerie. It's just the way it is. People have either left or are sheltering in place"
Knapp said he hasn't been able to sleep in days and feels depleted, exhausted and emotionally drained as uncertainty rules throughout the country.
He adds that he hasn't made up his mind yet about leaving and he's considering joining the Ukrainian army to defend the country he now calls home.
"I have a battle right now between my head and my heart, Maricela. A really hard battle and it makes me choke. It's difficult. My head says 'leave', my heart says 'stay here and fight,'" he said.
It's been a long week for Ukrainian families all over the world.
The owners of in Lincoln, California, have been struggling to get in touch with their loved ones in Ukraine and say that the only thing they can do is pray.
Sisters Polina and Daria Pudova fled Donetsk, Ukraine a few years ago with their parents and relocated to Rocklin.
And as they're seeing Russia invade their home country through family video calls, Polina said, "When the bombings just started, my mom's brother [our uncle] FaceTimed her and you could just see outside of his window the smoke. I saw that and I got flashbacks and it's so scary."
A few days later they lost touch with their uncle.
"We're all trying to get in contact with them. Some of them we can't get. We call them but they don't answer, so we don't know what to do and if they're safe or not," said Daria through a broken voice and holding back tears.
She adds that her mother – who usually bakes at their family business in Lincoln – has had the most difficult time and hasn't been able to sleep.
The sisters told KCRA that their family members haven't been able to reunite in Ukraine because of an active Martial Law, so their grandmother is alone in Kostyantynivka, Ukraine.
