Anacortes woman finds purpose in war-torn Ukraine

Anacortes attorney Markéta Vorel didn’t have combat experience. She wasn’t a nurse or a doctor.

Even so, she found herself drawn to the war zone in Ukraine. What she had to offer, it turns out, was a willingness to hear Ukrainians tell their stories about the Russian invasion, and an ability to pool the resources of Americans to support Ukraine’s cause.

Vorel will tell her story — and more importantly, in her view — the stories of the Ukrainians she met over two months this past winter, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, at Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St.

“When the war broke out, I just felt so utterly helpless,” Vorel said. “It really struck me at my core, because I grew up in Czechoslovakia. And so I know what it feels like to be under that kind of oppression. And I grew up with that fear that the Russians would do to us exactly what they were doing in Ukraine.”

“Eventually, it just became clear to me that I really needed to go, to settle my own anxiety about it. I just wanted to be there,” Vorel added. “That’s as far as I can explain it. It felt like a gravitational pull. … In a way, it was a strange homecoming for me.”

While in Ukraine in February and March, Vorel connected with a client of hers from Anacortes named Sharon Harris. The two crisscrossed the country, which is slightly smaller than Texas.

“We would secure things from one town and then deliver them to another town and just constantly coordinate,” Vorel said. “It was all humanitarian supplies, sometimes lethal items, but constantly on the go, which gave me the chance to see all of these different places.”

Ukrainians made a strong impression on Vorel.

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