Sitting at a picnic table in the shade of tall trees at the Ukrainian Homestead in Lehighton, Hennadii Cherevko and Pavlo Marchuk are relaxed as they sip water and watch children play soccer.

But an almost palpable tension grips the men as talk turns to their experiences during protests aimed at pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin's incursion into Ukraine.The protests in which the men were involved drew thousands of Ukrainians to Independence Square in Kiev in late November and early December. They were triggered by President Viktor Yanukovych's Nov. 21 decision to stop efforts to integrate with the European Union and instead align with Russia."The nation wanted to go with Europe, not Moscow and be under Putin," Alexander Prociuk said.Prociuk is president of the Organization for the Rebirth of Ukraine, which owns the homestead.His wife, Ulana, translates for Cherevko and Marchuk, who speak almost no English.They were brought to the United States by the Ukrainian Federation of America for treatment of injuries suffered in the protests, she said.Cherevko, 42, of Lubny, manages an import/export business. He went to the Maidan, the center square in Kiev, on Dec. 1 to protest Yanukovych's regime, he says. He was arrested by the berkut, Ukraine's feared riot police, and jailed for 10 days.The news of students who initiated the protests being beaten compelled Cherevko to join the demonstrations.The students' treatment worried him because his own daughter, Lena, will be at the university in four years."Everybody came to support them," Cherevko says. "If nobody shows up to support what you are for, there would be no change. Nothing would happen if people didn't rise up in support of what they believe is right."Cherevko says he and eight others were beaten while in jail. His arms were broken in the attacks. Afterward, they were taken to a prison hospital cell and kept there.At a Dec. 4 hearing, authorities accused Cherevko and the others none of whom knew each other, he says of organizing the protests. They were sentenced to five to eight years in prison.They were moved to another prison, then finally, under public pressure, placed under house arrest.The Ukrainian parliament in January passed a strict anti-protest law. But that triggered even more violence, resulting in the deaths of three people.The law was repealed, and amnesty granted to those who had been arrested. In March, authorities dropped the charges against them."We achieved independence in 1991, and there was no blood shed. We are fighting for a cause. We don't want to belong to Russia. People are dying for the right to remain a free country," he says.He hopes the United States will aid the cause through continuing sanctions against Russia.Cherevko believes Putin aims to take over the entire Ukraine."He is a crazy man. Very crazy," he says.Putin began by deploying troops to the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which is closest to Russia."Crimea was taken over, and Europe sat still and watched," Cherevko says.Marchuk, 24, of Volyn, is an electrical engineer. He arrived at the Maidan on Nov. 28 to support the Ukraine aligning with the European Union.Because he's young, he ties his future to the EU, he says. He joined the protests four times.He said he joined because, "It is for people to know the truth. Any event that takes place in the world affects everybody, not just one place or person."Marchuk was shot on Feb. 20 when the berkut, clad in black, faced the crowds, which started pushing back.The men will continue their recovery here for the next few weeks.