SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — The War in Ukraine has now been ongoing for 1,000 days as tensions in the region continue to rise.

This week Ukraine launched American-supplied long-range missiles into Russia and Russia’s president lowered the threshold for its use of nuclear weapons.

As the war overseas continues, Ukrainians who are now living in the Tampa Bay area are watching from a distance and worried about loved ones who remain back home.

Angi Denysenko, a Ukrainian refugee, escaped the country in the middle of the invasion back in 2022 and now lives in Safety Harbor.

“Just one day — the war starts. We see tanks. We see war. We see terrible things,” Denysenko said.

She lived in Dniprorudne in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is now Russian occupied territory.

Denysenko fled with her two daughters and eventually made her way to the United States.

She says her mother is still in Ukraine and living under Russian occupation.

“I speak with her over the phone – I try to help with a little money,” Denysenko said.

The U.S. has supplied the country with old military equipment, which has helped lead to a stalemate on the frontline, but Denysenko worries about the future.

President-Elect Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to end U.S. involvement in wars and some lawmakers have signaled they want to U.S. taxpayer funding or Ukraine to stop.

Denysenko hopes this new administration won’t abandon Ukraine and will make an effort to end the war quickly.

“I just want it to stop and we start new – step by step,” she said.