When Oleg Lebedko traveled with his family to Ukraine in August,his luggage carried more than just vacation supplies. In fact, thepresents he brought for his countrymen may have saved lives.

Lebedko, CEO of the $180 million Ukrainian Federal Credit Unionin Rochester, N.Y., packed packets of Celox, a medicated gauzedesigned to control bleeding within minutes of application, beforevisiting northeastern Ukraine. His luggage also included CombatApplication Tourniquets, known as C-A-Ts, approved by the U.S. Armyand considered to be 100% effective in occluding blood flow incombat victims' upper and lower extremities.

The medical supplies were handed off to a trusted colleague inUkraine who then ferried them to eastern battlefields for use byUkrainian forces in the war against what Lebedko and otherUkrainian-Americans consider a Russian invasion of theirhomeland.

Funds to pay for the supplies, which cost $40 each for the gauzeand $30 each for the tourniquets, were raised by RocEuroMaidan, aRochester community organization formed last fall to raise fundsfor humanitarian purposes and lobby for political influence insupport of Ukraine's opposition to Russian annexation, according tothe group.

Lebedko, one of the group's 14 members, isn't the only one fromthe committee to have delivered much needed humanitarian supplies.He also isn't alone in his concern for the situation.

“I feel angry and sorry for the people of Ukraine,” saidLebedko, whose hometown of Sumy is just 30 miles from the Russianborder. “I am disappointed that Ukraine is still fighting for itsindependence after 23 years.”

Lebedko's views may be shared by many Ukrainian-Americans, whichnumbered 961,113 in 2006 according to U.S. Census figures. Thelargest communities are concentrated New York, Pennsylvania,California and New Jersey. Support for Ukraine's efforts hasblossomed across the country, much of it supported both financiallyand in spirit by the 14 Ukrainian-American credit unions servingthese communities.

“I don't have the details, but I believe each credit union hasits own support program,” said Orysia Burdiak, president and solepaid employee of the Chicago-based Ukrainian National Credit UnionAssociation.

Currently, the 14 credit unions, all of which are UNCUA members,serve more than 100,000 members nationwide and hold $2.8 billion inassets. The reaction to the situation in Ukraine has largely beenone of outrage, according UNCUA Chair Bohdan Kurczak, president/CEOof $1.1 billion Self Reliance New York Federal Credit Union, in NewYork, and the largest Ukrainian-American credit union.

“Our members are horrified as they watch the territorialintegrity of their homeland being violated,” said Kurczak, afirst-generation Ukrainian-American citizen whose parents emigratedto the U.S. after World War II. “The members who have family in theaffected areas fear for the lives and safety of their lovedones.”

Self Reliance New York, along with other UNCUA members, havebeen donating to various Ukrainian social service organizationsthat have been supplying humanitarian aid in the form of food andmedical supplies. Other supplies have included bulletproof vests,night-vision goggles, helmets, and boots for the fightersthemselves.

Although credit union-supported committees have engaged indiscussions with local political representatives for the purpose oflobbying government agencies on behalf of members, none have takenan institutional stance for political as well as legal reasons,according to Walter Tun, marketing manager for the $428 millionSelfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union inChicago.

“As an institution that's federally regulated, we can't supportparticular programs overseas designed to change or overthrowgovernments, so we don't get involved in that kind of thing,” saidTun, a Chicago native whose parents emigrated from Ukraine.

“But our 21,000 members wanted to do something, so we provide aplace where organizations can open accounts and collect money toprovide humanitarian aid to Ukraine,” Tun added.

Selfreliance Chicago contributes $800,000 annually to variousUkrainian-American groups and will likely see an increase in thatnumber as recipient groups earmark more of their funds forhumanitarian aid, Tun said. In 2013, Self Reliance New Yorkcontributed $1.3 million primarily to the United Ukrainian AmericanRelief Committee, which are funneling increasing amounts back toUkraine, according to Kurczak.

In New York, a group of Ukrainian volunteers from Rochesterand Buffalo met with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) todiscuss the situation in Ukraine.

“The money has been used primarily for humanitarian aid, helpfor injured victims and help for the families of those killedduring the events on Kiev's Independence Square,” Kurczak said. “Inaddition, funds have been provided for the humanitarian needs ofthe Ukrainian Army and National Guard.”

Both credit unions represent the largest members of UNCUA, buteven the smaller institutions are showing support.

“We have an ongoing program in which members each donate $100,then nominate two other people to donate money,” said Inessa Koval,manager of $8.2 million Osnova Ukrainian Federal Credit Union,which serves about 700 members in the Cleveland suburb of Parma,Ohio. “We're meeting next week to discuss providing institutionalsupport.”

The funds are donated to the Cleveland Maidan Association –“maidan” refers to Independence Square in Kiev where the protestsbegan earlier this year – and will be used to purchase “everythingfrom toothpaste to food to bulletproof vests,” Koval said.

Some Ukrainian-American credit unions also wired funds formembers to financial institutions back home through Western Unionand MoneyGram. Surprisingly, among those that do, there has beenlittle in the way of increases or decreases since the war began,according to credit union officials.

Ukrainian FCU, which has nine branches in five states and willsoon open a 10th branch in Seattle, processed $320,000 during thefirst quarter of 2014 from its Rochester headquarters, whichLebedko said is roughly on par with the $1.2 million in remittancesprocessed during all of 2013.

Last year, the much larger Self Reliance New York processed $15million in remittances to Ukraine and other Eastern Europeancountries where members have families. Most of those remittanceswent to commercial banks rather Ukraine's credit unions at themembers' requests, something that Kurczak attributes to thecountry's continued instability, devaluation of currency andmilitary activity.

Other credit union officials felt that Ukraine's nascent creditunion movement, barely 20 years old, was ill-equipped to handleremittances, especially in light of the conflict. According to thelatest figures, there were 624 credit unions holding $309 millionin assets and serving 1.3 million members, according to the WorldCouncil of Credit Unions' 2013 Statistical Report.

Political activities also figured into the support provided byUkrainian-American credit unions. Through the RocEuroMaidan group,members of Ukrainian FCU has worked with several localrepresentatives to make sure the needs of Ukraine's people areheard by government bodies that have influence in crafting U.S.policy. Selfreliance Chicago has also worked with local politiciansto promote Ukraine's cause.

Self Reliance New York financially supports both the UkrainianCongress Committee of America and the Ukrainian NationalInformation Service, both located in Washington, D.C., thatfacilitate interaction between the Ukrainian community and membersof the U.S. Congress, administration officials and the mass mediaregarding issues surrounding the conflict.

In addition, Kurczak and members of the board and staff arehelping coordinate and will be attending a dinner honoring UkrainePresident Petro Poroshenko, who will be in New York Sept. 24-25 toaddress the United Nations.

Kurczak said he hopes the speech will help ignite betterunderstanding of the situation and greater support from the Westfor Ukraine.

“I am upset that, again, Russia does not respect Ukraine'sindependence and appears to be heading towards a goal of forcefullyrebuilding the Soviet empire with all the implications that has notonly for Ukraine, but all democratic countries,” Kurczak said. “Iam also disappointed in the West's lack of meaningful support forUkraine.”

In 1994, Ukraine removed its Soviet-era nuclear weapons, sentthem to disarmament facilities in Russia and signed the NuclearNonproliferation Treaty. In return, Russia, the U.S. and the UnitedKingdom on Dec. 5, 1994, signed The Budapest Memorandum agreeing toprovide security assurances against threats or use of force againstthe territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.Russia's invasion of Ukraine has violated that agreement, Kurczaksaid.

“I don't believe that the current sanctions and the urging ofRussia to respect the territory of Ukraine meets the assurancesthat these countries gave Ukraine in 1994,” Kurczak said.

Ukrainian FCU's Lebedko agreed: “The big questions is what thefuture holds and what's going to happen to those territories (thathave already been annexed),” he said. “Ukraine should stay onecountry and Russian troops need to go home and let Ukrainiansdecide.”