CLEVELAND — In the year since Russia invaded Ukraine, more than 200,000 people in the United States have volunteered to sponsor Ukrainians seeking refuge.

Tens of thousands of Americans have welcomed Ukrainians over the last year, and here in northeast Ohio, one group that has been opening doors for Ukrainians is proud to know that Cleveland has been one of the most welcoming cities in the U.S.

Viktor Ordin is from northern Ukraine, and he's been living in Ohio for about seven months now.

"Everyone knows we have war in Ukraine, so we move, me and my family move here, like refugees," he said.

Ordin said he and his family have found Ohio to be a home away from home. Since the Russian invasion, nearly 4,400 people in northeast Ohio have volunteered to sponsor Ukrainians seeking refuge.

Joe Cimperman, president of the nonprofit organization Global Cleveland, said the the city and people who live here are going above and beyond to make Ukrainians feel at home.

"This is the west side market, this is the place where immigrants for generations have come to sell and purchase food, this is a place that's open to everybody in Cleveland," he said.

Ordin says while this is home for now, when he sleeps at night, he dreams of the day he gets to go back to his real home.