Bismarck woman worried about her homeland near Ukraine
A woman in Bismarck has family in Ukraine and is affected by the Russia crisis.
BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) — The Russia-Ukraine crisis has some ties to residents of North Dakota.
Eastern Europeans in North Dakota anxiously await what is next for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Especially one Bismarck woman who runs a grocery store specializing in Ukranian and Russian products, she wonders what this means for her business.
“I am not sure what is going to happen with the products I am importing and I don’t know if I be able to provide those groceries as I planned to provide to Ukranian, Russian, Romanian and Moldavan people here,” says owner of Little Odessa, Mirabela Punga.
Punga prides her shop as a connection hub for all Eastern Europeans in Bismarck.
She says Ukranian and Russian customers are still amicable among each other but tensions have started to rise since last week, when more Russian troops lined up by the Ukranian border. Her friends and family in Ukraine are in distress as they look for supplies and head to shelter.
“How our family is struggling right now because of the chaos created by everyone. Try to go to the bank, withdraw money, getting supplies like food and everything they need. You know when chaos starts it’s even worse than a war,” said Punga.
She implies things can get even more hostile as both countries share a lot of similarities, from the food to the people.
“Our relationships between Russian-Ukranians they are mixed. It’s a lot of people from Russia in Ukraine and vice versa. So it’s going to create a very hostile atmosphere between those people,” Punga says.
Family dynamics may get even more complicated.
“I have cousins that are in Moscow, they married with a Russian and it’s unbelievable how we are related, like family related and we have to go now against each other,” says Punga.
Punga has lived in Bismarck since 2014.
Her store, Little Odessa, features Eastern European products and she worries how Russia’s invasion will impact her livelihood.
