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US couple, adopted kids stuck in midst of Kiev violence

TOPEKA, Kan. — A Topeka couple and their new family are stranded near the violence that has erupted in Ukraine.

Don and Lisa Jenkins went to the Ukranian capital of Kiev to bring home four children they have adopted. However, they can’t leave until they receive final paperwork so the children can receive their visas. The violence has closed down many government offices.

Dan Jenkins told The Topeka Capital-Journal that he, his wife and the children are holed up in an apartment less than a mile from the violent protests. He says they can see smoke from the scene of clashes between protesters and the government.

The children are three teenage girls and a 9-year-old boy. Jenkins says they don’t know when — or if— they will get the necessary paperwork.