They Adopted Her
Ivanka’s parents were innocent civilians in Donbas, a region of Ukraine that is heavily populated by Russian military officers. Russian soldiers presumably killed them. Despite being abandoned in a torn-up house, she was found by the Red Cross and brought to the United States.
The Barnetts acted without hesitation. Their emotional response to Ivanka’s story prompted them to take her home with them. However, what happened next stunned them.