CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Many gathered to discuss Russia's war with Ukraine through an interactive discussion panel.
Khrystyna Holynska was the featured speaker with the World Affairs Council of South Texas. She spoke in front of a crowd represented by different ethnicities and age groups who wanted to learn more about the topic.
"One of the most hardest part for the people who are displaced is that they do not know what will happen next," Holynska said.
The turmoil in Ukraine has caused many to lose their sense of security.
"Many of them do not even unpack, they do not want to build a life at the place where they are displaced to," Holynska said. "They hope to come back. They do not know when they will be able to come back. And they feel like investing in their stay might even be a betrayal."
As the countries continue their fight, future generations of political leaders are watching it unfold. Young minds such as W.B. Ray High School students Suhawni Narang and Laura Li pulled up a seat at the table to join the complicated conversation of war.
"War is not one sided," Narang said. "I think, especially with the Ukraine crisis, everyone was like, oh, Russia is so bad. Why would Russia do this? And I was one of those people. But in the process, when you demonize that other country, you also demonize the people in it, which has nothing to do with the matter."
Narang and Li are part of W.B. Ray High School's International Baccalaureate Program, which is a partnership with the World Affairs Council to allow students to hear experts views on certain topics.
"People in Russia are also struggling under the actions of a dictator who doesn't speak for them," Narang said. "So I think understanding that war isn't just the Ukrainian people are hurting but that everyone's hurting. It's really important to like the humane nature of the conversation."
According to Li, Holynska provided beneficial insight and perspective on how to better understand the situation as a whole.
"She did a really good job of justifying or covering how Russia, coming out of the Cold War and after the faults of the Soviet Union had security concerns," Li said. "Seeing how all these things build up, whether they're valid and true or not, really helped emphasize that the war was a long time coming."
Holynska remains hopeful that the war will come to an end soon. She is grateful that world leaders are starting to come together to support the Ukrainian people.
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