The crisis between Russia and Ukraine is heating up, and even beyond an increase in gas prices, it’s hitting close to home for some in Southern California.

“This invasion, we can call it war because there are people dying every day. If that’s not war, I don’t know what is,” said Mykhailo Lavrys, a Ukranian-American living in Los Angeles.

Lavrys said he’s worried for family members still in Ukraine.

“It’s not easy being so far away from your family, especially considering all the news we’ve been hearing lately and all the scary videos of shelling of some cities,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris held bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a conference in Germany, where she warned of economic sanctions if a diplomatic solution is not reached.

Andrew Jenks, a history professor at Cal State Long Beach, said he believes the invasion is imminent.

“It depends if we can find a diplomatic solution, but it’s increasingly looking like the possibility of that is narrowing,” he said.