ABERNATHY, Texas (NewsNation) —  Viacheslav “Slavic” Tymoshenko is 17 years old from the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih. He’s currently in the United States as part of an exchange program with Abernathy High School, but he worries for his family’s safety in Ukraine.

Tymoshenko says he speaks to his family every day, but expressed concern that he will lose contact if Russia invades the city, which could be at any time.

“In my city, it’s quiet at this moment, but they still have sirens and all those warnings. Nobody’s working,” Tymoshenko said.

Slavic is watching his home country fight a war from across the globe. His stay in the country would have been from August 2021 to May 2022, but due to the invasion he’s unable to return home.

“Everybody is fighting right now. People stop tanks with their bare hands, so it makes me proud of my nationality,” he said.

President Joe Biden recently granted a temporary protected status to Ukrainians in the United States that will allow them to stay and work up to 18 months.

This week, students at Abernathy High School stood in unity with Tymoshenko by dressing in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and later surprising him in formation.

“I was happy because I didn’t know that they were doing this,” Slavic said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Slavic and his family. The funds will be sent home to his loved ones since it’s too dangerous for them to work. Donations will also help finance his education and extended stay in Abernathy. To donate, click here.