The Russian invasion and war with Ukraine have now lasted more than two years. It has hit close to home for many people in Ohio. The state has the sixth largest population of people with Ukrainian ancestry in the United States estimated at 40,000. More than 4,000 of those folks live in Northeast Ohio in Parma. Additionally, Ohio has helped resettle more than 5,000 Ukrainians since the war started.
This week, the U.S. passed a massive aid package for Ukraine after moths of delay by Congress. It will send $61 billion to Ukraine to help its war effort. An estimated 30,000 Ukrainian military members have died in the conflict according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In addition, estimates in February placed the number of civilian casualties in the tens of thousands.
On April 25, Ideastream Public Media’s, “Sound of Ideas” welcomed Ohio native Mark Simakovsky onto the show. He is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development. USAID is a federal agency.
Simakovsky discussed the organization’s work in Ukraine and the effort build a resilient democracy capable of withstanding Vladimir Putin.
Guests:
-Mark Simakovsky, Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID
