Pastor Nick and Natasha and Family at Taste of Ukraine on Aug. 23

After putting down delicious Ukrainian pierogis and cabbage rolls we reveled in the acapella El Coro octet. They sang to us in stunning harmonies both Ukrainian and American songs, capped off by the most creative version of the Star Spangled Banner I have ever heard, in person or on television.

Yeager then introduced the real brains of our outfit, Dr. Bob McCollister, a Ph.D. in political science from The Ohio State University, who knows the history of both Russia and Ukraine and minutely tracks the war. I almost fell off my chair when McCollister told us that Russia lost 40,000 casualties, between killed and wounded, just in the month of July 2026.

The young men shipped to the front lines by Putin’s generals do not come from the elite classes in Moscow and St. Petersburg. They are “fodder off the farm,” from working class families in rural areas. Many of them allegedly die or are wounded within 30 minutes of taking up a position in an area of ongoing fighting.

Ukrainian casualties in the war have also been high, but far fewer than what the Russian military has been suffering. Thus far Russia has lost 500,000 troops killed in fighting, according to a British Intelligence estimate. Ukraine admitted losing 55,000 troops killed, probably a low estimate. It is suspected that Russia also under reports their casualties to pacify a home front that must be getting restless over the losses of husbands, sons, and brothers.

Next up at the Taste of Ukraine was the presentation to us of a Ukrainian family rescued by a group based in Kent, Ohio. This organization, named The Kolya Project after the nickname of the first family rescued, finances the missions of plucking Ukrainians from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine and bringing them to the United States as refugees. Rescued with resources from Kent Presbyterian Church were Ukrainian Pastor Nick Koretskyy, his wife, Natasha, and their three children, Misha, 20; Liza, 18, and Ivan, 16. Brought to the U.S., Koretskyy has now become pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Logan, WV. Interestingly, he is also an ordained Orthodox priest.

Finally, we learned of the death of a second generation Filipino, Tyrone Ramiscal Lamyaithong, 33, of Man, WV, who had served with the West Virginia National Guard until September 2025, then volunteered to fight alongside the Ukrainians against Russia. He died fighting in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in January of this year. A funeral service was held for Tyrone on March 10 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic church in Logan.

Three hundred and four pierogis, 184 cabbage rolls, gallons of borscht, dozens of Ukrainian apples, and mounds of “broken glass” cake made for a three-course meal at our third annual Taste of Ukraine.  We had about 80 people come to help celebrate Ukraine’s 35^th Independence Day. Entertainment was provided by El Coro, John updated the past year’s activities, and Dr. Bob gave the status of the war on the frontlines and beyond.

Debbie and John Yeager on MetroNews Midday

Dr. Bob McCollister

Ukraine has regained some territory in the region around the city of Lyman on the Eastern Front but even those are limited. Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles with longer ranges have played a significant role in interrupting Russia’s long logistical lines along the Sea of Azov leading to Crimea. The result is that it has become very difficult to supply its troops along the Southern Front and in Crimea itself, leaving those forces to wither on the vine.

Life for Russians in Crimea has also become more difficult with gasoline becoming a scarce commodity. Resupply by sea has become just as difficult as Ukrainian seaborne and aerial drones have devastated Russian commercial shipping, and have driven the Russian navy back into port. The Russian fleet is not even safe from attack moored at their bases along the Black Sea coast. Whether or not the denial of this logistical support to Russian forces will allow Ukraine to resume the offensive in the south is yet to be seen.

Then there is the long range war both sides are conducting against each other using cruise and ballistic missile and long range drones. The Ukrainians have focused their attacks on Russia’s economic center of gravity the Russian oil industry. Russia’s refinery capacity has been reduced by 40% in the last six months and long lines for gasoline are now a fact of life for the average Russian.

Ukraine has also struck at Russia’s oil export facilities reducing their ability to export crude oil and refined products thus reducing Putin’s ability to fund his war of aggression in Ukraine. Ukraine has also struck at Russia’s logistical hubs, especially Wildberries warehouses. Wildberries is the Russian equivalent of Amazon. These attacks have brought a war home that for years seemed distant to most Russians.

Russia’s long range war on Ukraine has a much different character. Russian ballistic and cruise missile attacks on Ukraine are directed at apartment buildings, shopping malls, churches, and a variety of other civilian targets. Kyiv has borne much of the damage but missiles have been directed at Odessa, Kharkiv and other cities as well. This is a terror campaign aimed at breaking Ukraine’s will to continue the conflict and to force them to capitulate. Ukrainian men, women, and children are killed in their beds, while they are shopping, or on their way to work.

This winter Ukraine is bracing for attacks on its power grid to create suffering among the population and further weaken the Ukrainian people’s will to fight.

Ukraine’s ability to defend itself has been severely hampered by its dwindling stocks of Patriots and other missile defense systems. The United States stopped supplying those systems shortly after President Trump took office. NATO members in Europe have announced plans to purchase more Patriots but stocks are currently very low. The situation is made worse by the phenomenal use of air defense missiles in the war with Iran making America’s own supply of interceptor missiles critically low.

Hi it’s me Sunny. And I didn’t get a dog “dye-job.” No, that’s a picture of Patron the Dog. He is a highly decorated “bomb-sniffer” in the Ukrainian military. Here’s his story from Wikipedia.                  

      “Patron (meaning “cartridge”), mostly known as Patron the Dog (born 20 July 2019), is a Jack Russell Terrier employed as a detection dog and mascot for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.”

“Patron first came to prominence during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, during which Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded him the Order for Courage for his work in locating and defusing unexploded ordnance left behind by Russian troops. By 2023, Patron had helped locate hundreds of such devices.”

Keep up the good work, Patron!

Slava Ukraini!  
Your Friend, Sunny.