Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago is no less heartbreaking than it was that first day of attack, Ukrainians and Ukraine supporters in Edmonton say.
“The sorrow is deeper,” said Iryna Kosenko, who fled first to Germany then Edmonton in the summer of 2022, in an interview at the Ukrainian Hub on Sunday. “All the feelings, they are just getting deeper, becoming deeper, deeper, deeper. And then I just feel at a loss.”
Said another Ukrainian, Oksana Yaromenko, who fled with her husband and kids early on: “Every day you need to fight with yourself, with your mood.”
Both women have been happy with their decision to settle in Alberta’s capital city, where they have found a large community of other Ukrainians as well as second and third-generation Ukrainian families. It is estimated about 300,000 Ukranians came to Canada to escape the war. Roughly one quarter moved to Alberta.
They also appreciate the help from local groups, such as advocacy by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alberta Provincial Council, and employment by small businesses like Don’ya, a Ukrainian kitchen.
“Every single woman in our kitchen has left the war in Ukraine. Every single one of our employees has friends and family there. Every single one of our employees has experienced loss – yet they also show so much strength and we show so much unity,” owner Janice Krissa, who was also behind the founding of the Free Store for Ukrainian Newcomers, told CTV News Edmonton on Monday.
“It’s really difficult to see some of the struggles of the people, but it’s also really beautiful to see the strength. There’s a lot of resiliency and I’m so proud of our team.”
“It’s all my world,” said kitchen manager, Nataliia Vynohradova. “Because all the people working here can feel the same as I feel, so we are supporting each other. We all the time discuss the situation in Ukraine, what we should do, what we can do.”
Working at Don’ya as Vynohradova does, or volunteering at the Ukrainian Hub as Kosenko does, has helped the Ukranians feel like they are helping each other.
“I’m doing something, not just sitting here and waiting for the war to finish, or for the world to finish the war,” Kosenko said.
Because there is much the newcomers have to worry about, in addition to the safety of loved ones and their home country. Some of their passports are beginning to expire. The Canadian government is advising Ukrainians ensure their work permits are updated and to contact a member of parliament to register their status with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
“Nobody is being sent back to a war-torn area,” promised Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault on Monday. “Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is working on a system-wide solution to this issue.”
But an end to the war remains top of mind, especially with the involvement of newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump, whose comments about Ukraine, Russia and even Canada have worried the Ukrainians.
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“There’s some parallels, definitely, (with) what’s happening in the U.S.,” said Orysia Boychuk, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alberta Provincial Council.
“We’re concerned not just about democracy and the fight for democracy in Ukraine, but for Europe and for Canada.”
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune and Evan Klippenstein
