Ukrainian family arrives to a warm welcome in Buffalo

In late July 2022, Maryana Polyak, 42, and her three children landed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport and were greeted by their cousin Kusia Hreshchyshyn. The trip started in Warsaw, Poland where the family lived for five months after Russia invaded their home country Ukraine in late February. Although Polyak's family was among the 5 million Ukrainians who fled to Poland, Maryana's husband, Dmytro, had to stay behind because men ages 18 to 60 are banned from leaving the country in case they are called to fight. Now in Buffalo, Maryana hopes to find stability for her family in the United States.