Pitt professor mourns loss of brother killed in Ukraine

University of Pittsburgh professor Katya Hill is mourning the loss of her brother James Hill who was killed Thursday in Ukraine. James, 68, was in Ukraine with his life-long partner who was getting treatment for multiple sclerosis. James was killed in an attack Thursday near the hospital, Hill said. Hill says when the Russian invasion started, James jumped in to help others. "He found a woman with 4 young children living near the hospital to share food, use her internet when it was working, and try and find a way out of Chernihiv for her and others," Hill said about her brother. When she would talk to James on the phone, she said she could hear bombs going off in the background. "As his older sister, I asked him to postpone this treatment as Russian tanks lined the border of Ukraine," Hill said. "He felt confident that the invasion would not happen, that the world wouldn't let it and he had fought so hard for this treatment that he didn't want to delay. Then the bombs started." Hill said her brother — who traveled the world teaching forensic psychology — was always positive, even as Russia invaded Ukraine. "Yet through the 20 plus days of bombing, loss of electricity, gas, no heat, and food limitations, Jimmy remained positive and was a helper," Hill said.She said James was committed to staying in Ukraine with the woman he loved. "It's a beautiful love story but unfortunately it has a tragic ending," Hill said.