The Tenney family with the Lytvynenko-Novosolova-Kholod family in Fort Worth. Brian Tenney (bottom left), Robin Tenney (bottom right), Liza Novosolova (top left), Tetiana Kholod (second from top left) and Lera and Alina Lytvynenko (respectively, top right).
Alina Lytvynenko
This article is part two of a two-part story. See the first part here.
Ukrainian family Alina and Lera Lytvynenko, Liza Novosolova and Tetiana Kholod barely escaped the horrors of war before they arrived in Germany.
From the day the Russia-Ukraine war began, the family spent weeks in a freezing underground basement, hiding from Russian soldiers who ransacked their village and houses. Their basement was in a bunker below the Russian front line. It was nearly a month before Alina finally found someone to drive them to the nearest evacuation bus.
From there, they spent days getting into a peaceful country that would accept them– from Kyiv, a 12-hour train to Mukachevo, then another train to Hungary, and after nearly 24 hours of no sleep, they made it to Germany.
And for them, Germany was passable.
Lera Lytvynenko (left) and Liza Novosolova (right) celebrating Halloween in Fort Worth. Alina Lytvynenko
The language barrier made school difficult for then 14-year-old Lera and kindergartener Liza. And Alina and her mother, Tetiana, had to learn German in order to stay there and work, per Germany’s Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs rules. The language proved to be quite complex to learn, Alina said.
While some German residents knew Russian, this wasn’t a positive thing for Alina and her family.
“We might be asked why we moved, and when we answered that we were bombed, we’d hear, ‘But weren’t the Russians just shelling military targets?’” Alina told the Star-telegram through an interpreter. “When we answered, ‘No, not just that,’ we’d be met with a look that said they didn’t believe us and thought we were lying.”
At the time, Russian President Vladmir Putin was making nuclear warfare threats that could affect the majority of Europe. Alina wanted her family to be in a place where safety was guaranteed — and that, for them, was not Germany.
Living in Germany was better than living in a war, but it was not a permanent solution for Alina and her family.
The Texas connection
Alina’s mother Tetiana had heard about various programs for Ukrainians in America. She also discovered Facebook groups that found sponsors who would help them move to the States.
At the same time, Fort Worth residents Robin Tenney and her husband Brian were looking for a Ukrainian family to help.
Robin said Facebook was a tricky place to find an honest family. There were scams from both Ukrainians and Americans, which only made the process more difficult for families like Alina and Tetiana, who were truly seeking help.
Until one day, Robin saw a comment from Tetiana that assured her she was a sincere candidate.
Tetiana’s phone lit up with a Facebook Messenger notification from the Tenneys, but they were cautious.
“Have we finally been lucky? Or is it some kind of joke?” Alina said.
Alina Lytvynenko (right) with her daughter Liza Novosolova (left) on their way to meet the Tenney family in North Texas. Alina Lytvynenko
They realized this was no trick, and their wishes of coming to the U.S. were possible.
It took 10 months for the Tenneys to help Alina and Tetiana square away all legal documentation. In fact, to grab all their documents, Alina had to leave her daughters and mother in Germany and take the train back to Kyiv just to get an international passport. After Alina returned, Tetiana also made the same trip, by herself. .
“At the time, that’s when they [Russia] were bombing where Ukrainians were waiting in a bus line,” Robin said. “So I just didn’t know if they were putting themselves that close to the bombings.”
Once the paperwork was squared away and one-way flights were booked, Alina, Lera, Liza and Tetiana flew with all of their belongings — just two suitcases — into DFW Airport.
Tetiana Kholod (left) and her granddaughter, Lera Lytvynenko (right) on their way from Germany to Fort Worth. Alina Lytvynenko January 13, 2023: A one-way ticket to America
Brian said the family wanted to work and take care of themselves. So, that’s what the Tenneys helped them do, which involved obtaining lots of confusing and costly employment documentation.
The first thing they did was enroll Lera and Liza in school.
It was a vast difference from the school experience in Germany.
“I saw my children rejoice and finally gain self-confidence with each new day,” Alina said.
After two months of living in Fort Worth, Alina and Tetiana were able to get jobs as custodians for the Eagle Mountain Independent School District.
Shortly after getting their new jobs, the family was able to get an apartment. The Tenneys gifted them a car, which was an improvement on the three-mile bike ride Alina and Tetiana traveled each morning to work, often in the early morning or late evening dark.
A future in Fort Worth: Dark memories become a distant past Lera Lytvynenko graduated with honors from Chisholm Trail High School in May 2025. Alina Lytvynenko (top left), Lera Lytvynenko (top right) and Liza Novosolova (bottom). Alina Lytvynenko
Lera graduated from Chisholm Trail High School in May 2025, in the top 10 percent of her class. That’s in addition to finishing Ukrainian high school online. She is now pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at Tarrant County College.
“I’ve always been curious about how things work,” Lera said.
Liza is learning English while attending elementary school. Alina is also taking English classes at TCC.
“Having moved to Texas, to Robin and Brian, our family found not only peace in the soul, but also confidence in a bright future and joy that this future will be,” Alina said. “Thanks to them, the weeks in the dark basement in which we spent hiding from bombs became a distant past.”
The Tenney family is the host family for Alina Lytvynenko and her family. Alina Lytvynenko
Nearly four years later, Zavorychi sits in fragments as Russian drone attacks and missiles continue. Some residents still reside in their old village despite the active warzone.
Because of this, Alina and her family don’t anticipate ever returning home. Tetiana would like to, while Alina thinks America is the best place possible for her daughters and their future.
But what they both agree on is there is no chance of returning until Putin’s war machine is stopped.
And though the family feels revived by their new life in Fort Worth, Alina says, “It is Kyiv that will remain in my heart forever.”
This article is part two of a two-part story. See the first part here.
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Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.