Russian invasion : “It wasn’t in my wildest imagination” – Guyana-born Ukrainian

 …wife, daughter stranded in warzone

Ukraine was transformed into a warzone overnight with the invasion of Russian troops since Thursday, leaving scores of persons concerned for relatives in the country.
One such individual who has been devastated by the recent turn of events is Shawn Parasram – a Guyanese-born man whose wife, Yuliya and seven-year-old daughter have been stranded in the country.
Parasram is an accountant attached to Royal Caribbean International and is currently in Miami, USA. He migrated from Guyana to Ukraine about eight years ago, and had settled in the port city of Odessa. His daughter and wife, both residents of Ukraine, are still there in the face of the growing tension with the airspace closed since Thursday.
He spoke with Guyana Times on Saturday, where he relayed his current predicament of being unable to return home and most importantly, rescue his family from the threatening situation.
“I was supposed to go home a few days ago but I had to work and extend. Not being there to assist and manoeuvre and make decisions in terms of their lives is quite hard on my side currently. For me, to have them leave the country, I need to go there because although I am a resident, I’m also a foreigner. My daughter cannot leave the country without my permission,” he expressed.
While he is unable to physically support his family, Parasram has been in close contact with his wife and daughter. They remain safe with his in-laws, and he is able to reach them almost 20 times daily.

“They’re currently in Odessa; that’s my hometown. We speak very often on a daily basis, not just because of this situation, like 10 to 20 times per day. Now it has increased to that amount because I just want to know what’s happening, feedback and how to do things.”
When Parasram left his country the last time for work, he said the possibility of such a situation was unimaginable in his sphere of thinking. The uncertainty which looms has exacerbated his concerns for his family’s safety.
The worried man told this publication, “It never crossed my mind. It wasn’t in my wildest imagination…As soon as I wake up or have an extra spare minute, I call. I would like my immediate family, my wife and daughter, to be out of that situation. My hands are tied based on all these things.”
Currently, it is a waiting game as he anticipates information on the availability of flights to the country, in order to safely remove them from Ukraine. Parasram noted that the fate of the entire population is quite worrying.
Reuters reports on Saturday informed that according to Ukrainian authorities, Russian warships shelled a Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker and a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship due to load grain near Odessa port in the Black Sea on Friday. This was one day after Russia began its full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, in which three non-military vessels have since been hit. On Thursday, regional authorities of Odessa region – the third most populous city – said that some 18 people were also killed in a missile attack. (G12)