Ukraine refuge recalls coming to Monterey County on the anniversary of Russian invasion

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV): Today marks a year since the war in Ukraine began. Some refugees that have escaped the violence have made their way to the Central Coast.

At 18 years old, you wouldn't think your country would be at war, resulting in you leaving your belongings, friends, and family.

But it happened to Liubov Lahoda, who escaped from Ukraine to Monterey last April with her husband.

"It's the worse scene that I have ever saw," said Lahoda.

Read more: Russian couple sponsor 9 Ukrainian refugees in Marina

Her parents, brother, and the rest of her relatives are still in war-torn Ukraine, now under the Russian government. The anniversary of the war has her feeling somber - especially as her family is still stuck back home.

"Unbelievable because in my country, Ukraine, I had everything," said Lahoda. "Of course, family, which I don't have now here, my family is through the ocean, it's so far away."

With the Biden administration spending billions to help Ukraine, some concern is that the focus on issues at home is being ignored. Political Analyst, Andres Quintero, said some political parties and families noticed issues like inflation and homelessness in the U.S. are harder to tackle if money is being diverted to the war.

"The vast amount of money that are being spent oversees for a war that seems half across the globe," said Quintero. "And they see a lot of issues here locally -- homelessness, things of that sort are not taking, in their perspective, not being addressed."

The City of Monterey's webpage has a ton of resources for Ukrainian refugees. The webpage is Monterey.org.

 Carmel by the Sea Rotary Foundation is also helping raise funds for refugees. You can reach out and donate, here.