Westminster Woman Trying To Help Parents Escape Ukraine

WESTMINSTER, Colo (CBS4) -- A woman in Westminster is trying to get her parents out of Ukraine, as Russian troops continues to invade the country.

For the last 24 hours, Yana Kurenko has been anxious and in fear as she tries to figure out the next steps for her parents who live in Kyiv. Kurenko has lived in Colorado since 2013.

"I'm stressed out the whole day," Kurenko told CBS4. "I'm sorry I lost it because I'm not able to be there for them."

When news first broke of a Russian invasion in Ukraine ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kurenko frantically began calling her parents. Her Ukrainian father is 70 and Russian mother is 57.

"I tried to call them last night, like 10 times. They were not picking up. I was freaking out here, and eventually, she picked up the phone," Kurenko said. "And I was like, 'Mom, the war started,'" Kurenko explained.

Kurenko's parents didn't hear the air raid sirens go off, but many of her friends did. "They heard everything at 5 a.m.," she said.

While Kurenko's parents are currently safe, she's trying to help them get out of Kyiv as soon as possible, but she said it's challenging because they don't own a car, and there are no flights leaving the country.

"The only one thing that I can do is listen to the news and tell them and try to help them to get to Poland or where ever is the safest right now for them," Kurenko said.

Kurenko is hoping to get her parents on a train to Poland by Friday evening. She's praying for the safety of her loved ones and hoping for international intervention.

"We just need support right now more than anything, from the U.S. and from the European Union," Kurenko said. "I don't know who else can stop him right now."