WASHINGTON — For Oleh Vretsona, the past three days have been a whirlwind and involved him traveling more than 4,500 miles to his home country and back as it remains on the brink of a possible war with Russia.
Vretsona grew up in Ukraine before moving to Northern Virginia. Years later, his friends and family still remain in the country.
For the past few weeks, Vretsona has followed the news reports showing Russian tanks and troops moving closer to the border. World leaders have warned of the threat of conflict, with the U.S. State Department even ordering embassy staff in Kyiv to evacuate and saying any Americans in Ukraine should plan to leave the country soon.
However, for Vretsona and other Ukrainians living near D.C. who have spoken to WUSA9, the worries about possible war are not new, especially after Russian forces annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea back in 2014.
"People have been living under this threat long enough to understand what they need to do," he said. "You usually see military personnel because of the situation there.”
Tuesday marked the first full day back in the U.S. for Vretsona after he flew over to Ukraine on Sunday to check on his parents. The reports of potential conflict brought concern for Vretsona when thinking about his family.
His mother and father still live in Lviv, located on the western side of the country.
After landing and traveling from the airport to his home, Vretsona said the threat of war seemed far off.
"There were people going about their daily business. They were somber realizing there was a threat but also pretty resolved," he said. "They’re preparing for the worst but still going about their lives. Otherwise, you can go crazy.”
Vretsona told WUSA9 that the tension with Russia came up in chats with friends and family but the discussions were far from being full of worry.
"The conversations were not apocalyptic," he said. "It was just 'What do we do? What’s the next step?'”
American officials have been warning for days that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent.
Tuesday brought some hopeful news on the situation when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country had decided to "partially withdraw" some troops as he hoped for more talks with other world leaders.
President Joe Biden later held a televised address and described the hope for a diplomatic solution while warning that an invasion could still be possible.
For Vretsona, the wait of what could come next continues.
However, he believed Ukrainians would keep being resilient in the face of Russian aggression.
When asked if he thought Russia would attack his home country, Vretsona believed otherwise.
"If the administration's response is going to be severe, it’s going to be bad for Russia," Vretsona said while noting the challenges Russians would encounter when trying to invade a large country and facing resistance. "(Putin) is realizing that maybe the calculus was wrong.”