Ukrainians seeking refuge in Calgary worry about support faltering on 2nd anniversary of invasion | 24CA News
A rally was held in Calgary on Saturday to mark the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It was organized by the Calgary chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
Anna Tselukhina, who helped manage the rally, stated it’s a strategy to bear in mind those that have died and to remind the world that the struggle is nonetheless occurring.
She additionally desires to lift consciousness about all the issues Ukraine is dealing with now.
“Many Ukrainians who came to Calgary have relatives — their parents, especially elderly parents — who weren’t able to escape so quickly, or maybe because they’re older they don’t want to leave their place,” stated Tselukhina, whose mom was killed in 2022 within the Luhansk area. “So lots of them have the identical state of affairs: their dad and mom died and folks couldn’t return to Ukraine for a funeral. So I’m not distinctive. It’s the fact of Ukrainians now.
“I live in a peaceful country now and I read about shelling in the news. But at the same time, this is what I’m thinking about often. Reading the news, knowing details about prisoners of war, about torture, about different war crimes committed in Ukraine. My heart is back in Ukraine.”
Nastasiia Shatna clearly remembers two years in the past how she was woken by planes flying over her dwelling and the sight of the Dnipro airport in flames.
“I woke up … I just saw airport already burned. The sounds of the plane — it was a bomb which flew so close by my house,” she recalled.
Shatna made the troublesome determination to go away her dad and mom in Dnipro.
She got here to Calgary alone in July 2022 and now volunteers at St. Vladimir’s Church on weekends, the place a whole bunch of latest arrivals nonetheless come looking for help on the welcome centre there.
“Two years ago, no one could imagine what would have happened, and nobody believes it would be so long. And right now, I can’t believe it’s already been two years,” Shatna stated as she helped present meals and clothes for latest arrivals in Calgary on Saturday afternoon.
Ukrainians who fled the struggle are actually taking up from Canadian volunteers dealing with burnout from serving to for the previous two years.
“We rely more on volunteers the last couple of months,” stated Olga Matsula, the parish council president at St. Vladimir’s Church. “They are doing a fantastic job.
“The situation in Ukraine didn’t get better. It’s still going on and those people are still coming. We are very grateful we have volunteers, and some of those are from Ukraine who would like to give back. I’m happy that we can provide that support after two years.”
Like different refugees, Shatna isn’t positive the place dwelling is correct now. She studied worldwide relations in Ukraine and likewise labored as a software program developer in Dnipro.
“I like Ukraine and I didn’t want to leave before. I couldn’t imagine that I could leave,” she stated.
“Canada was really so warm and accepts us Ukrainians. Canadians supported us, and we have such a nice community in Canada.”
Shatna is grateful for all of the assist, friendship and safety she has in Calgary, however worries about her household.
“They are all the time, every day, bombing,” she defined. “My parents are used to living with the sound of sirens day and night. A lot of people have really become crazy.
“Some I know just lost their family. They just lost their house and they can’t see any sense to live their life.”
Two years in the past, many individuals didn’t maintain out a lot hope for Ukraine, however Ukrainians rallied and the resistance within the face of a extra highly effective adversary helped persuade many governments to again Ukraine with billions of {dollars}.
Shatna stated she understands that some individuals in Canada could also be rising weary.
“A lot of people say, ‘It’s two years – it’s too long. Everyone is so tired,’” she stated.
A renewed Russian push is being felt throughout the entrance line, inflicting refugees in Calgary to not simply fear for their very own households, but in addition for different international locations in Europe if Ukraine falls.
The U.S., Canada and different international locations gave Ukraine hope that it may win, however now Ukrainians like Shatna fear about assist faltering.
“It’s not your life. It’s OK, it’s my life. It’s Ukrainians’ lives. But if everyone stops supporting Ukraine right now, I don’t want to scare people, but it’s possible this war will come to your house,” she stated. “Maybe not on your continent. Maybe your house will be OK, but some people would leave for fighting. The next one could be Poland.
“Right now we are trying to save our lives (and) survive in Ukraine with our military. And at the same time, we are trying to protect all the world.”
According to the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, by the top of January 2024, the group helped over 12,000 CUAET (Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency journey) visa holders and referred 6,106 of them to authorities motels as soon as providers had been offered on the airport.
Those figures are since reporting started in June 2022.
Since March 17, 2022, the Canadian authorities has obtained 1,189,320 functions. Of these, 958,190 have been authorized and 221,231 individuals have arrived below CUAET.
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