Life after fleeing war

Yuliia Bihun navigates her life as a Ukrainian refugee in Philadelphia.

This past February, Yuliia Bihun, her 2-year-old daughter, and her husband were back home in Kyiv, Ukraine when their home started to shake from Russian bombs at five in the morning. It was the first time Russia began its attacks on the country. Their lives changed in an instant, and just four months later, Bihun and her daughter, Sarra, found themselves finding refuge in the U.S. It was their first time ever being in the country, and their new home happened to be Philadelphia.

“The first two weeks, I was so scared,” said Bihun about coming to Philadelphia. 

Bihun was lucky enough to find refuge in Philadelphia because of her husband’s friend, Bishop Luke Zhoba of St. Nicholas Patriarchal Orthodox Cathedral in Northern Liberties.  Zhoba has let Bihun, her daughter, and nine other Ukrainian refugees live at St. Nicholas’s. He lends Bihun his car so she is able to go to her English classes, pick up her daughter from daycare, and other everyday needs.

“I am very thankful to Bishop because he always protected me and always supported me. Everything which I have and what I do, like my car, food, where I live, is from Bishop Luke,” she said.

According to the City of Philadelphia’s website, it is estimated that around 10,000 Ukrainian refugees are expected to settle in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties throughout 2022. 

“The first time, I didn’t like Philly, I didn’t like the U.S. Ukraine is the best in the world. But now it's familiar and habitual here. I had to get used to living here. The first time it was difficult to understand the culture, the people,” said Bihun.

Bihun knew as a refugee she wanted to contribute to the Ukrainian community in Philadelphia to not let the war go forgotten, as Russia still continues its attacks on the country. On Oct. 10, Russia launched missiles into cities across Ukraine killing 14 people. According to Statista, there have been nearly 6,500 Ukrainian civilian casualties since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

After meeting other Ukrainians in Philadelphia, Bihun was able to connect with Ukrainian American and Jenkintown resident, Rada Dubashinsky. They decided to partner together to sew the biggest Ukrainian flag. The end goal is to send it back to Ukraine to give to President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

“What I felt that she needed at that moment is to contribute somehow to Ukraine. Her husband is there, her parents are there, and she’s here. And she doesn't know how to help. And she really wanted to do something. She felt that she was contributing in whatever way and that’s what she really needed at the time,” said Dubashinsky.

Bihun felt a sense of belonging after connecting with other Ukrainians in Philadelphia. She said she likes the community in Philadelphia because they are closely linked due to their similar backgrounds.

“We don’t do things separately,” she said. “We don’t say ‘this is my rally, this is my project.’ It is not about me. It is for Ukraine.”

Karina Smyrnova, a Ukrainian who has lived in Philadelphia for the past three years, is also heavily involved in Ukrainian activities and rallies in the city. Bihun and Smyrnova met through mutual friends. Smyrnova helped organize meetings, set up rallies at City Hall, volunteered, gather donations, and shipped items to people in need in Ukraine.

“It was so great to receive support, even words of support. At the beginning of this war, I had a strong decision and wish to fly back to Ukraine because I thought that my support there in Ukraine can be more useful than being here. But then I figured out that I have other ways to support,” Smyrnova said.

As the discussion around the Ukrainian war started to die down, Ukrainians living away from home like Smyrnova, Bihun, and Dubashinsky wanted to make sure the topic of the war stayed relevant in their local community, even with people who are not directly affected. 

“In February and March, after Russia made a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it was a hot topic, right? Everybody was talking about it. Two, three months later, the topic was slowing down, so we wanted to make sure Ukrainians were at the top of the discussion to bring awareness,” said Dubashinsky.


Bihun says that her daughter Sarra will always be a child of war even though she is too young enough to know what that means.

“We started packing together our things. Sarra woke up, the house shaking, she stood up on her bed and was crying. She won’t remember it, but I never forgot it. My baby not remembering war is good. A lot of children in Ukraine are very scared, especially of loud noises,” said Bihun.

While being in Philadelphia, Bihun has been able to send Sarra to daycare for free where she is learning and speaking English and making friends. Bridges 2030, a Philadelphia non-governmental organization that supports disadvantaged communities, is who funded Sarra’s daycare costs. If Bihun and Sarra go back to Ukraine, she said she will not be able to send her to daycare due to the dangerous situation.


“It was very important to get Sarra into daycare so she can be around children the same age. It’s good for growing and socialization,” she said. “Sarra has never been in daycare in Ukraine, but now I see how much she loves it and how much she needs to be with other children.”

Although she has found a safe haven here, Bihun says that she still does not like being in Philadelphia, away from home and her husband. One of the reasons she has not gone back to live in Ukraine is because of her daughter.

“I think it is better for Sarra. Not for me, I am very uncomfortable without my husband, with our family not together, but I understand for Sarra. It is necessary to be as a whole family, but more necessary to be healthy and safe because in Ukraine it is not safe. She needs to be in a safe place,” said Bihun.

Bihun is worried that Sarra might start to forget her father. For eight months, Bihun has only talked to her husband on the phone. 

“It is important she doesn’t forget him,” said Bihun. She is also worried about her relationship with her husband. “I am very afraid that we would be strangers to each other.”

Bihun is not ready to live here for the rest of her life. She wishes the war will end so she can go back to her life in Ukraine. 

“But if war will continue, I am responsible for my daughter and cannot risk her life. If we are talking about refugees, we don’t have a choice. Our country is saying if we have the ability to stay abroad, then stay abroad. They are saying they don’t have enough resources for everyone,” she said.

Aside from feeling anxious about being away from the comfort of home and her husband, Bihun said she has found happiness and belonging in the Ukrainian community in Philadelphia. Since she hopes to go back to visit Ukraine soon, she wants to take all the necessary steps to come back to Philadelphia and open a Ukrainian refugee center for new Ukrainians.