Wodonga Ukrainian Joe Wowk devastated as Russia continues to attack his home country

While the 94-year-old Ukrainian is grateful to be on the other side of the world as his home country is under attack by Russian forces, he feels devastated to see it unfold on his TV screen.

Mr Wowk left Ukraine as a 15-year-old in 1942 and worked in Germany during World War II until he was able to migrate to Australia in 1949.

He first applied to move to Canada, but was unable to take his family with him, however Australia allowed them to all travel together and he decided to make it his new home.

Mr Wowk has watched on in shock and disbelief as Russia, led by its president Vladimir Putin, began its invasion of Ukraine almost three weeks ago.

"The war in Ukraine is terrible," he said.

"Some people are trying to leave over the border to Poland. They're civilians and they killed about 30 people as they were waiting to cross the border to escape from it all.

"They're bombing peaceful little places well away from the big cities. People just live there and I don't think many of them would be political in any way. The big cities are different.

"That's Putin's world.

"A lot of people in the west have sympathy for Ukraine, especially for the poor mothers that were bombed out and children, but that doesn't worry Putin.

"Even with the sanctions they've put on Russia, Putin still does what he wants and that's wrong."

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Mr Wowk was 22 when he left for Australia and said he had only returned to Ukraine three times in his life. The first time was with his wife in 1976 when it was still a state of the Soviet Union.

Former German Austrian Australian Club president Lutz Peters went to school with Mr Wowk's son, Joe, and many other second generation Ukrainians on the Border.

Mr Peters' parents had migrated to Australia from Germany in 1952 under similar circumstances, so he wanted to rally some support for Ukrainians on the Border and contacted Wodonga mayor Kev Poulton with a suggestion council could light up the Water Tower.

"I thought that was fabulous," Mr Peters said.

"Our next-door neighbours were Ukrainian where I grew up in Wodonga.

"I really feel for the Ukrainian people and what is happening. It not only upsets them, but all the immigrants who came and had to start a new life after the devastation of war. It's confronting to see it all happening again."

The Water Tower was lit blue and yellow from Sunday night to signify the Ukrainian flag and the colours will remain for at least a week.

"It was nice. I guess some people will come and see it," Mr Wowk added.

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