Edwin Goh, Whose Ukrainian Girlfriend Is Based In Singapore, Urges Everyone To Show Empathy
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict rages on, an increasing number of heartbreaking tales have been shared from the ground.
Former Mediacorp actor Ix Shen, who’s married to a Ukrainian and lives in the capital city of Kyiv, said he has no plans to leave as he wants to “help in any way” he can.
Edwin Goh’s girlfriend, Ukrainian model Darina Sheremet, has also been updating her IG stories with stories from the ground, saying that it’s “so hard to sleep knowing what’s going on in your country”. Darina has been living in Singapore for at least a year.
8days.sg spoke to Edwin about how Darina is coping, and how he thinks we can help in the current situation.
Darina's updates from her IG stories
8 DAYS: How is Darina? It must be really hard for her right now.
EDWIN GOH: She has been watching news for updates every minute, and she can only hope for the best. Her family has gathered all their documents and necessities. They’re seeking shelter and trying to avoid the bombings. Keeping in contact with her family is the priority but the connection [is unstable].
Do they live in the capital?
They reside in Kharkiv, but almost all cities are under attack right now.
[Kharkiv is over 480km east of Kyiv]
How long has it been since she was home?
She hasn’t been home for more than 1 year.
Has there been any word on whether there'll be evacuations for them?
There has been but many roads are jammed as they are affected by the bombings. A lot of them are in the subway shelter, [even] pregnant women [and] babies.
In your view, is there anything foreigners like us can do to help?
This is coming from me - Just be empathetic towards the people suffering and just share factual news about the war.
Darina & Edwin have shared resources on how we can support Ukraine
You can see the full post here.
There are Singaporeans who feel that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is too remote from us to be of real concern. What are your thoughts on that?
Having come from a country that was once torn from war, I believe most Singaporeans would be empathetic, especially since Total Defence Day wasn’t too long ago. We have heard stories from the past about how Singaporean homes were destroyed and the agony Singaporeans had to go through. I believe even though the war might be in a different place, different time, the destructions and suffering is all the same.
Even though I am not directly affected, I have been keeping up with the news and seeing how many people have been displaced, how many of them fear for their lives and how many of their homes have been destroyed. The ones most affected by war are the civilians and the innocent. I do wish the war will come to a stop soon.
Photos: Edwin Goh/Instagram, Darina Sheremet/Instagram
