Ukrainian refugees and their families in the Portland region fear a Russian invasion of their homeland will kill relatives who still live there and will destroy the country’s emerging democracy.

“People are scared,” said Tatiana Terdal, a member of the board of the Ukrainian-American Cultural Association of Oregon and Southwest Washington. “They are calling relatives twice a day. Those who can evacuate are making plans to do so. Children have backpacks in their room to grab if shelling starts.”

Such fears have been building since Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in February and March 2014. A large Pray for Ukraine service was held at the Ukrainian Bible Church in September of that year. Funds have been raised within the community and among its supporters since then to send medical and other supplies to under-equipped Ukrainian government and civilian forces that have been resisting the Russians ever since.

Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered forces into regions of Ukraine he describes as “breakaway,” Terdal said they are poised to attack the entire country, just as Germany and Russia did in 1939.

Terdal said her organization supports the Feb. 21 statement by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America that condemned Putin’s actions and called on President Joe Biden, NATO leaders and Ukraine’s international allies to immediately impose crippling sanctions on the Russian Federation.

The organization, which represents nearly 2 million Americans of Ukrainian descent, also called for defensive weapons to be shipped to Ukraine as soon as possible to repel any attacks.

“The fate of not only Ukraine, but that of Europe and indeed the world, depends on decisive American leadership. Vladimir Putin has already ordered Russian troops across Ukraine’s border under the guise of peacekeeping. That is not an incursion. That is an invasion,” reads the statement.

Oregon First District Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici is among local leaders supporting sanctions against Russia.

“Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is dangerous and requires a swift response. I support imposing sanctions, including those announced by President Biden and our EU allies, to condemn Russia’s aggressive actions and to deter further hostilities. We must use all diplomatic and economic tools at our disposal to protect the lives and freedom of Ukrainians,” reads a statement from Bonamici on the local organization’s Facebook page.

It is unclear how many Ukrainian refugees and descendants live in the Portland region. The U.S. Census had never tracked them accurately, said Terdal, who estimates it could be as many as 50,000. Many are religious refugees who immigrated in the 1980s and 1990s when the Soviet Union banned all religions except the Russian Orthodox Church, Terdal said.

More information about the Ukrainian-American Cultural Association can be found on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/UACANW.