Solidarity walk with Ukraine draws crowd

More than 75 Ukrainians and residents, young and old, gathered Sunday afternoon for a peaceful Walk in Support and Solidarity with Ukraine, expressing support with the community and their homeland.

The march, which is the fourth after the Russian invasion, commenced from the flag area of Brandon University, facing 18th Street, passing through Victoria Avenue, and concluding at Ninth Street, where participants stopped at city hall for a flag-raising ceremony.

The event, organized by the Ukrainian-Canadian Association Tryzub, marked another year of ongoing war in Ukraine and served as a call for continued support from Canada and the international community.

Co-founder Julia Krykavska addressed the crowd following the march, reflecting on the emotional toll of more than a decade of conflict.

“We are here today in recognition of the brutal aggression against Ukraine from Russia,” she said. “Every year, it’s becoming harder and harder to find the words to say. We are emotionally exhausted, physically exhausted. This war has been ongoing for 12 years, and for four years it has been a full-scale war.”

Krykavska spoke of the destruction left behind, cities reduced to rubble and erased from maps, families displaced, and countless lives lost.

“We have lost so many lives, including brave Ukrainian warriors, civilians, volunteers, people who came to help Ukraine,” she said. “Many were not Ukrainian by nationality but could not stand aside from this brutal war. A lot of Canadians who came to defend Ukraine have lost their lives defending our Motherland because they could not do otherwise.”

She expressed gratitude to Canada at all levels for its continued support.

“We are very grateful to Canada, to Brandon, to our provincial and federal governments for everything they are doing in support of Ukraine, for their solidarity. This will never be forgotten,” Krykavska said. “Please keep doing the same until we celebrate victory, until Ukraine can raise its flag proudly again on its land, until we can return home and rebuild. All we have right now and what will never be destroyed is our hope, courage and bravery.”

Tryzub president Vartan Davtian emphasized unity in the face of overwhelming odds.

“It is all Ukrainians united together,” he said. “They have millions more people and more money than we do. Ukraine has less, fewer people, fewer resources but we stand together as one solid piece. And everything will be Ukraine.”

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett also spoke at the conclusion of the march, calling the war an ongoing tragedy.

“Ukraine continues to fight, and it remains a tragedy in the world right now,” Fawcett said. “It’s been four years of full-scale war, every single day.”

He acknowledged Brandon’s deep-rooted Ukrainian heritage and the pain felt by those forced to leave their homeland.

“It breaks my heart when I talk to people who were living the same life we live here in Brandon, and then one day they weren’t. They had to leave,” he said. “We have a long history with our Ukrainian community here. It’s sad why some have to be here.”

Fawcett also pointed to the broader global implications of the war and Canada’s role in supporting Ukraine, including members of the Canadian Armed Forces stationed in Latvia and Poland.

“They are the front line of democracy,” he said of Ukraine. “I hope the world can back Ukraine. I hope we can find the strength to see the end of these days.”

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