American James Hill Killed In Ukraine Was Planning On Getting Himself, Other Ukrainians To Safety Abroad
By: KDKA-TV's Amanda Andrews
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- "It's a beautiful love story, but it has a tragic ending."
James "Jimmy" Hill, 68, of Idaho was in Ukraine along with his Ukrainian partner, Ira, when Russia's invasion of the country began on Feb. 24.
Ira has multiple sclerosis, and she was receiving care for her condition at a hospital in Chernihiv.
Just weeks later, on Wednesday, March 16, Jimmy was one of 10 people killed by the Russian military.
He, along with other Ukrainians, was in waiting in line for bread, according to Ukrainian officials.
Back home in the United States, Jimmy's family was in constant communication with him through Facebook Messenger and were constantly worried about his wellbeing.
One of his siblings, Katya Hill, is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and shared some insights about his hopes and aspirations as well as his observations of the war in Ukraine.
"For me personally, and I know my sister and my brother, just the stress of going through those days was enormous. But he remained positive," Katya Hill said in an interview on Saturday, March 19.
Ukraine is around nine hours ahead of Pittsburgh's time zone, so Katya would wake up in the middle of the night with messages from her brother.
Despite staying optimistic about the situation, he eventually began to admit the toll the military was having on the city.
"He was reporting that the bombing was getting worse, that it was getting closer, it was getting more intense," she said. "When I'd wake up, the first thing I would do is check and his message would be: 'Made it through the night still alive.'"
Before his death, Jimmy was making plans to leave Chernihiv and help other Ukrainians flee the violence.
"Jimmy has AirBnbs in Idaho Falls and another in Montana [so he was thinking] of having families from Ukraine and wondering how many families he could have living at his property and setting up a little Ukraine in Idaho. So he wasn't thinking of a possibility of this happening. At least he wasn't sharing that," Katya said. "But I know near the end when we lost contact...his last Facebook post was [about] how intense the bombing was. I know when I was talking to him on the phone, I was hearing bombs going off in the background."
His partner, Ira, is still in the hospital, according to Katya.
Jimmy's family and other Ukrainians are trying to use Facebook Messenger to get her safely out of Chernihiv.
However, with reports of Russian military attacks injuring and killing refugees on the roads, it has been difficult to coordinate safe passage for her.
Before Wednesday, Jimmy had been discussing with his sister the violence he was seeing perpetrated against Ukrainian civilians and refugees attempting to escape to safety.
"When I was talking with him, the strategy that is being used in killing civilians [is] there will be intense bombing that will then stop. And there'll be no bombing for an hour or several hours," Katya said. "People then feel safe, and they don't have food, so stores and bread lines will open. They'll go out and stand in line to try to get bread or food or other supplies, and then the bombing resumes and that bombing targets those lines."
Katya's representatives said this would likely be the last time she would be publicly discussing her brother's passing as the family grieves his loss.
The entire Hill family gave the following statement on Saturday:
"Our family is heartbroken to share the news of the death of our beloved brother, James 'Jimmy' Hill in Chernihiv, Ukraine on March 17, 2022. Our parents instilled in us a strong belief to respect, to appreciate, and to love humanity's diversity. Jimmy's life was a reflection of this belief. Indeed, Jimmy loved to travel and to meet people. As he was known to say, he loved to 'bring people together.' He was the kind of person that people in need or in a crisis 'looked for as a helper.' He had a grounded and gentle presence, was a wonderful storyteller, had a great sense of humor, and always strove to make peace in any kind of conflict. Jimmy stayed in Ukraine out of love for Irina Teslenko, his life partner who has Multiple Sclerosis. He had worked tirelessly to find her treatment and refused to leave her bedside when the invasion began in Ukraine. He remained true to his love for her, his love for the Ukrainians, and his love for humanity until his death. Jimmy met his untimely death when he left the hospital to find food for patients, nurses, and neighbors, and to find a way to communicate with his friends and family abroad. In such disasters and crises, may we all be blessed to find someone like Jimmy. He was such a kind, thoughtful, and grateful man who really did care for others. Jimmy would want us to remember the good in people's hearts, and he would want us all to contribute to the easing and relief of human suffering. In remembering Jimmy, and as we continue our life's journey, we also remember the special words, 'Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.'"
