WTAE-PIT (ABC) - Channel 4 Action News

high here in the city and we'll get to your sunday forecast coming up here just a few short minutes. casey, thank you. next friday will mark one year since russian troops invaded ukraine and the war has had an impact on people around the world, including here in pittsburgh, pittsburgh's action news 4 war anchor mike clark sat down with a professor at the university of pittsburgh who looked back on his tumultuous year teaching classes in kiev under the daily threat of missiles and bombings. dr. timo miller varner back on the pit campus, reflecting on his experiences in ukraine when russian troops invaded. it's really difficult to believe. it's almost like yesterday i woke up in kiev to the sound of explosions, of missiles almost one year later, he says there have been 45,000 documented war crimes against his people. that means rapes and torture. of 45,000 by the authorities in ukraine. so this is beyond any normal war you would imagine, even though the world the word normal of war should not be used. he's back here thanking people for their generosity while raising awareness and funds for a job he says is still not done. and it takes humanity to stop evil. cannot be done by military, by one country. it has to be all of us in the free world. all of us who care about other humans, who care about the future of the planet that we have to work together to stop it. so that's the message. ivanov is heartened by the love offered from people here in pittsburgh. they feel more concerned than i am. you know, i'm living through it and they feel so, you know, so kind, so empathetic, so warm. and they all say they are praying. they will say they are done. they think they are supporting in all possible ways. and this is really uplifting. before heading back next week to ukraine, he'll carry his message to other public universities, a message of hope, he says, in a time of danger, we are fighting for our survival and we will win. and we are like you and you are like us. we are good humans and we need to fight together to stop this. russia, this dark, dark russia that it has become. again, that was mike clark reporting. dr. mike lavorgna will visit several more public universities, including penn state, as well as upenn and harvard, as well as policymakers in new york and washington,