War in Ukraine Prevents Father from Attending Daughter’s Funeral in US

Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who fled to the U.S. with her family to escape the war, was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light rail train. The accused, Decarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old with a lengthy criminal record, was charged with her murder. Zarutska's father was unable to attend her funeral in Charlotte due to Ukrainian wartime regulations barring men of fighting age from leaving the country. Family, friends, and neighbors mourned Zarutska as a kind, creative individual with aspirations of becoming a veterinary assistant, who was beloved in her community. The tragedy has sparked discussions on urban crime and mental health, while highlighting the additional pain caused by the war's impact on families, such as Zarutska's father being trapped in Ukraine. Her death underscores the layered suffering faced by refugees, caught between violence abroad and crime at home.