UK Defense Ministry: Heavy fighting and airstrikes ongoing in Mariupol

Ukrainian Parliament Member Anastasia Radina is on a mission to advocate for more aid from US lawmakers as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.

Radina visited members of Congress in Washington, DC, describing and showing them the dire situation on the ground.

“We are receiving a lot of support and we also are glad to hear that, there is an understanding that action is needed and not just words, but we are calling for this action to happen immediately,” she told CNN’s Dana Bash during her visit this week alongside other Ukrainian parliament members.

Asked if she was frustrated Radina responded, “A bit. But we are also very much determined to fight until the end because that’s basically our only choice.”

For Radina, the trip to the US was a difficult decision. She left behind her two-year-old son and elderly father. Radina told CNN she uses an an app on her phone to monitor air raid warnings as she visits DC. She said that the app has alerted to a few air raid alarms. “It’s probably one of the most terrifying experiences in my life.”

Radina said that “As a mother, I feel guilty, but I also have a duty to speak on behalf of all Ukrainian mothers…as privileged as I am to spread the message across the world about what is happening in Ukraine and what kind of support Ukraine needs to stop that.”

During her visit in Congress, Radina carried a binder filled with pictures of the dire situation in Ukraine, including a particularly devastating image of a mother in Mariupol mourning her 19-month-old child, who died after a shelling.

Radina became emotional while describing the situation. “He was shelled in Mariupol, if I’m not mistaken. They managed to get him to a hospital but there’s nothing the doctors could do,” she explained.

“I cannot look at this picture without tears because what I think of when I look at this picture is my son who is staying in Ukraine right now,” Radina said.

Watch the full interview here: