JOPLIN, Mo. — The Russian invasion of Ukraine is impacting people in many places across the world… Including here in the Four States.

A local woman who was born in Ukraine, is now worried for family members still living there.

It was a sleepless night for Liliya Moos Wednesday night once Russian troops started the invasion of Ukraine. She was born and raised in that Eastern European country before coming to the United States, but still has family there.

“Call one to another one, call second time, two times, chatting, messages, scary, scary, very scary, for sure there will be blood. Lot’s of blood,” said Liliya Moos.

Moos and her husband, Chris, who teaches at MSSU, says it’s a land grab on the part of Putin.

“Never forget that Vladimir Putin is a KGB colonel. He has said publicly, to him, the worst thing that ever happened in the world was the fall apart of the Soviet Union. He would like to be the person that goes down in history who reclaimed and re-established the Russian Empire, or Soviet Union, which ever way you want to title it,” said Dr. Chris Moos, MSSU International Business Professor.

If you’re tired of paying high prices at the pump now, just wait until some of the US sanctions against Russia take effect, who we import some of the oil we use here in America.

“If we put sanctions on them, they quit exporting. It’s going to be a 5% decrease in the supply of oil and from our supply chain crisis. Everybody knows when supply goes down, demand stays up, the price goes up,” said Dr. Moos.

Until the pandemic hit two years ago, the couple would make annual trips to Ukraine, the bread basket of Eastern Europe. She’s not sure if she’ll ever get to go back now and is worried for the safety of her loved ones who are within earshot of the attack.

“They bomb airport and my cousin he says buildings shaking, windows. He says ‘I was sure the windows will go out,'” said Liliya Moos.

“When I asked her what if anything people here in Four States can do about this situation, she said, pray,” said KSN’s Stuart Price, reporting.