INDIANAPOLIS — Ukraine is 5,200 miles from Indianapolis, but to Barbara Paturel, it feels much closer.
Paturel lived in Ukraine for three years in the late 90s and worked at a missionary treating addiction with her late husband, Wayne.
She says she still feels a connection to the country.
“Those people are just so very precious, and even after all of these years being back in the states, my heart still hurts for them a lot,” she said. “We just fell in love with [the Ukrainian people]. They would invite us into their home for dinner and you would have thought we were a king and a queen,” she remembers.
Brittany Swanson also went on mission trips to Ukraine. She taught English there in 2018 and returned the next year. She forged friendships with Ukrainians still in the country.
MORE | Hoosiers with connections to Ukraine watch Russian invasion from afar
“They are just trying to cling to their faith and pray that God will protect them and keep them,” Swanson said. “They're fearful, but they're hopeful. There's just something about them, they're so strong, they're resilient.”
Paturel has been able to get in touch with her friends, but communication is limited.
“They haven’t been on social media much. I think they’re afraid to say anything,” Paturel said of her friends.
The two women are watching the Russian invasion in horror, worried about the loved ones still within the war-torn country.
MORE | Indiana University students peacefully protest Russian attacks on Ukraine
“It's just really hard to see all these different attacks. I hoped it would never happen, and I really did not expect for it to be this volume,” says Swanson. “These people are just like you and me, wanting to live a good life and be happy.”
“Why would you hurt and kill people who have done nothing to you? What is the purpose of going into a country and destroying people who, to me, seem innocent?” said Paturel.
Although Paturel feels helpless with an ocean between herself and the troubles in Europe, she believes there is some help we can all send that is never hindered by distance.
“Pray for the Ukrainian people, pray for the government, pray for the violence to stop," she said.
-
Hilary Duff announces first major tour in nearly 20 years, with stop at Ruoff
Duff will perform at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville on July 23, 2026. Support comes from GRAMMY Award-winning artist La Roux with special guest Jade LeMac.
New IMPD chief addresses viral video, what's to come under her leadership
IMPD's new Chief of Police, Tanya Terry, met with City-County Councilors and the community at the Public Safety and Criminal Justice meeting on Wednesday night.
HSE educates parents about internet, social media safety in wake Buzbee case
Parents gathered at Hamilton Southeastern High School on Wednesday for a presentation called “Protecting Kids in the Digital Age” to learn how to protect their children from predators online.
Investigators ask for public assistance to identify a Fox Hollow murder victim
On Tuesday, the corner's office said that through forensic genealogy, investigators have been able to identify the victim's father as Jerome Clarence "Jerry" Harvey.
