- We're now joined by Yuriy Boyechko who is president and CEO of Hope for Ukraine.

First of all, Yuriy, thank you so much for joining us.

- Thanks for having me.

The media's attention span largely is like a gnat and the public, comparable.

Even though we're not as focused or not focused much at all, the reality exists in Ukraine in this war.

Please describe it to us in addition to your personal experience.

- So, I was thinking about this, so I just give you some numbers.

- Sure.

- So by latest estimates, that 8 million refugees that left the country, Ukrainian refugees, affected by this war and internally we have 6 million people who are internally displaced inside of the country.

So when you put everything together, that's 14 million people that's affected by this crisis.

So this is more than state of New Jersey.

Can you imagine you wake up one day and entire state of New Jersey just disappeared from the map and their life is destroyed so that's the reality on the ground and I totally understand that as the media cycle goes on people get tired of hearing about Ukraine and getting tired of hearing about what's going on there because that's just human nature.

But the life and the reality on the ground is worse than ever because right now the people who've been affected by this war, look back and they understand they will never go back to their homes, they will never go back to their jobs, they'll never be able to go back to the life that they used to live before February 24th, 2022.

So we are in the process of dealing with a lot of emotional trauma, a lot of situations where people need to start from ground zero and trying to rebuild their life and for me personally, it's very close to home because my father, still in Ukraine, three of my sisters still there.

So these 14 months has been very personal for me because I have to wake up every day thinking, "Are they still alive?"

So that's what's going on on the ground.

- Yuriy, your dad's 85 years of age.

- Yes, yes.

- How do you communicate with him?

- He has a wiper, so I got him a smartphone.

- That's great.

- My sister taught him how to use it.

So I call him when they have a light and when they have internet connection.

- Describe for folks as we put the website up, what Hope for Ukraine is, the services you're providing.

- So with humanitarian aid organization, our primary and main project is feeding people in Ukraine.

So since the war started, we have delivered over 70 million meals to people in Ukraine.

So every day we have a network of over a hundred volunteers that come to our warehouses in Lviv, Ukraine which is right on the Polish border.

They load up the vans with food that we have purchased through donations that people have given to Hope for Ukraine and we put together the grocery kits and it's taken to all different parts of Ukraine, to the front line towns and this type of kit can feed a family of four for about a week or so.

- So if someone contributes, those dollars are going directly to help a family in Ukraine?

- Yes, so 90% of every dollar that is donated go directly to the cause.

So, we making sure that all the aid gets to the end recipient and we have checks and balances in place to make sure that people are helped because the need is so dire that we get, everyday, hundreds of emails and messages from people on the ground asking for help.

- Describe President Zelensky.

I'm a student of leadership.

People are, I'm sure, they're tired of hearing me say that.

I try to study leadership from a variety of perspectives and I've been fascinated by President Zelensky's leadership.

Talk about it.

- His biggest accomplishment is his communication ability with the people in Ukraine.

So every day he's been going on the air, communicating to Ukrainians, first of all.

'Cause when you're going through the difficult times like this, the most important part is to have a glimmer hope.

So right now in Ukraine, even when Zelensky came here to United States, he still communicates because if the people don't hear from him one day, they start to lose hope and I think in time of crisis that's where he came in and showing a serious leadership and to constantly communicating with the public, constantly communicating, letting people know each and every day what's going on on the ground.

- Can I ask you, I'm curious about this, there are some in the United States, some in New Jersey and across this country, who, I don't think I'm misinterpreting this, but somehow explain away or lionize or think of President Putin in Russia as a strong man leader.

You say what about Putin?

- He's coward, the guy doesn't leave his bunker.

All the media, the Russian propaganda media, every time they show him do some kind of visits outside of his little shell that he lives in, it's usually his doubles.

So it's a big, big Hollywood production and they put together to show him that he goes somewhere, visit soldiers and stuff like that.

If you look at Zelensky, the guy went to some of the most dangerous parts of the front.

To go to Bakhmut.

Bakhmut is the most dangerous part of the world at the present time and he was not afraid.

He went recently to Kyiv that's another place that's constantly being attacked.

So he's definitely have a lot of guts to say the least.

- Before I let you go, Yuriy, for people in New Jersey and again, the region across the country, say "You know what?

"Ukraine, it's terrible what's going on there.

"Not our thing.

"It's not our country.

"We have too many things to worry about right here "and let them figure it out with Russia."

You say what to them right now?

- I'm saying, listen, if Ukraine falls next's gonna be Poland, next's gonna be Germany.

So, you know, this... Once in a century, there's this choice that stands behind us.

Are you gonna be on the right side of the history and what Ukraine's doing now is they're fighting for the freedom.

They're fighting for their own freedom.

We have no choice 'cause if we don't fight, there's gonna be no Ukraine tomorrow and if Ukraine falls, the rest of the Europe and the rest of the free world will fall and then what we are gonna be faced with?

We're gonna be faced with dictatorship that kills children, that steals our children, that rapes women, that wakes up one day and decides, okay, you know what?

I'm gonna occupy because I have a big army.

We are at the crossroads of the history right now and for everyone, we'll look back, say, "Hey, you know what?

"I was on the right side of the history."

That's why it's very important fight.

It's not only Ukrainian fight, I think it's a fight for entire free world and that's what we're at right now.

- Yuriy, first thank you for joining us.

Second to your family, we hope and pray that they're safe and to the people of Ukraine, I promise that at least on our end, as a state regional based broadcast, we'll continue to to have meaningful programming because there's such a large Ukrainian population in this state, in this region and as Yuriy said, it's not my job to editorialize, but this is not an isolated situation.

Yuriy thank you so much.

We appreciate it.

- Thanks for having me.

Thank you.

- I'm Steve Adubato, see you next time.

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