SEATTLE — Members of the Ukrainian parliament are meeting with elected officials in Washington this week to give an update on the Russia-Ukraine war, which has driven at least 16,000 refugees to the state to find a new home.
Washington is one of several states where Ukrainian lawmakers, religious leaders, and other influences are visiting to spread their message that the war is still ongoing.
Russian forces first invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the worry for Ukrainian officials is that public support is fading.
"There is a war going on in our country, people are dying every day drones are attacking us every day," said Andrii Zhupanyn, who is the Chairman of the parliament's subcommittee on natural gas.
On Saturday, the capital city Kyiv was hit by what officials are calling the largest Russian drone attack since the war began.
"Ukraine is bleeding and paying very high price for our freedom," echoed Anatoliy Raychynets.
Raychynets is a bishop with the Ukrainian Bible Society and says faith has brought the country together as the only place people feel safe.
"People had been praying together and one rocket just came through the roof inside the building and out of the window to the well and exploded, but nobody got hurt," said Raychynets, adding that even in church people run to bomb shelters as buildings themselves aren't stable.
It's stories like this that Raychynets and Zhupanyn hope to share this week while meeting with city and state leaders, including Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, whom they met with on Tuesday in Spokane.
"That's our fate and we agreed to it, but we need support, said Zhupanyn.
Support has come in varying ways from the United States. After the invasion, President Biden made it clear U.S. troops would not be sent to Ukraine but warned of new sanctions on Russia.
Demonstrations across the country, including in Seattle, ignited the administration's ban on the import of Russian oil and natural gas.
But 21 months later, Zhupanyn says it's not enough.
"We estimated Russia received over $500 billion for the trade of natural gas and oil for the last two years, he said, comparing that to Ukraine's projected $35 billion spend on defense next year.
"That is invested into plans that build rockets, into plans that build missiles, into plans that build drones effectively used to kill Ukrainians."
Part of this week's meetings include asking Washington lawmakers to support further sanctions.
On Sunday, Zhupanyn and Raychynets met with Ukrainians who now call the Seattle area home, encouraging them to call their local representatives to push for more action supporting Ukraine.
With less than a year until the 2024 election, which could usher in new leadership at the state and national level, Zhupanyn says he hopes the fight for freedom spreads across party lines.
"We are fighting not for the territory or piece of land, but for the right to existence, and here we believe the United States and Ukraine are on the same page."