California woman loses cousin to war in Ukraine

A California woman is sharing her grief after losing a family member to the shelling in Ukraine.

Maru Oderzhakhovskaya is from Kyiv. She's lived in San Diego since the pandemic, but before that lived in Los Angeles working as the marketing director for Art Hearts Fashion Week fashion shows. 

The war in Ukraine is front and center for her now. She says a 33-year-old cousin died in the shelling as he went out for water. Her father, a businessman, has stayed to fight. She says her mother, grandmother, and sister are trying to make their way to the border.

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She would normally be excited about this month's LA Fashion Week season. Back in Ukraine she worked for Harper's Bazaar.  Now, she's working to get donations to her homeland's fight against the Russians where average citizens are picking up arms.  

As fashion week nears, Art Hearts Fashion Week is planning to donate monies from their fashion show ticket sales to efforts in Ukraine.

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