“We get artillery shelling and we have the ballistic missiles and whatever type of missiles they’re using coming into Kyiv throughout the day. They get mostly shot down by the air defense artillery. You hear it. You kind of get used to it,” said Ladan.
Ladan runs Ukrainian Treasures in Blaine. It’s an import business that sells hand-made Ukrainian goods in the U.S. through Amazon and Etsy. Ladan says it’s a difficult job when few products are coming out of Ukraine because of the war. He moved to the U.S. in the 1990’s, and spoke with us from Kyiv while wearing a Twins shirt and a baseball cap with an American flag.
“You know I came to join the territorial defense battalion to protect my homeland. Minnesota is my home, but I still have my homeland that we have to protect,” said Ladan. “I’m training right now with the rest of the citizens to fight against the Russian Army.”
Ladan says he was in a line with 5,000 people just from his area to sign up with territorial forces. With so many willing to fight, he says Ukraine would win a ground war. But he says a no-fly zone is vital.
“I think the most important thing is for people in the United States to contact their senators and congressmen to give us either the no-fly zone or give us the air defense artillery so we can defend ourselves.”
The hardest part right now is the waiting for whatever is next.
“It’s just waiting you don’t know how long it’s going to last. It’s waiting to know what’s going to happen to Kyiv. This is the capital. We don’t want it to fall. You know, I don’t believe it will happen,” said Ladan.
Ladan says the war makes doing business with his regular Ukraine suppliers difficult. Even getting trucks through shelled streets can be a big challenge.
