LOS ANGELES — The first thing Mykhailo Lavrys does when he gets home is turn on his television for the latest developments coming out of Ukraine. The second thing he does is call his mother.

A native of Ukraine, Lavrys moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago. His 64-year-old mother, a school principal, still lives there. 

As tensions in his native country reach a boiling point, Lavrys has been calling his mother every day to make sure she is safe, but on Saturday, his she was not answering.

A frantic Lavrys quickly started dialing other relatives. He reached his cousin in Kyiv, who informed him he was OK.

"People don't know what to do," his cousin, who asked Spectrum News not to use his name, told him over FaceTime. "Some of them expect there will be some escalation." 

For weeks now, this has been the reality for many in the Ukrainian community in Southern California — one of the largest in the country.

Yurij Wihinny is the vice president of the Ukrainian Cultural Center in East Hollywood. He said the Ukrainian community is on pins and needles, worried about their relatives back home.

"The worst part is seeing that worry look on their faces as they're trying to get in contact with their relatives," he said, choking back tears. "I have a friend whose uncle was tortured and set on fire."

After trying his mother more than a dozen times, Lavrys finally got through. His mom was doing fine, though she admitted things were getting tense by the minute.

"It's always scary when I'm trying to reach her and sometimes the connection doesn't work," he said. "It's always a relief to know that my mom is OK."