‘We just want to live in a free country’: Rally held in support of Ukraine

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This article was published 25/02/2022 (1499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Calling for an end to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, community members gathered in front of Brandon City Hall Friday in support of the country under siege.

Liuda Artenchuk hails from Ukraine and deeply fears the impact the invasion will have on her home country, she said.

“We don’t like war. We don’t want war. We don’t like killing,” Artenchuk said. “We just want to live in a free country.”

The Canadian Press reported Russian forces are advancing on the capital of Kyiv, after invading the country on Thursday in a three-pronged attack that included ground forces, aerial bombardment and a maritime assault from the Sea of Azov in the fiercest fight the European continent has witnessed since the Second World War.

Artenchuk has family in Ukraine, including her mother and father, two sisters and their families, along with more than 30 cousins. She worries each day for what the future may hold and if they will be able to stay safe as Russian troops continue advancing.

She calls her mother daily to check in as often as possible, because she constantly worries for her safety. Artenchuk said her mother and sisters have been living in the cellar of their home.

Artenchuk gathered with more than a hundred others Friday. They cannot fight in Ukraine, but they can share information and encourage other countries to take action, she said.

Many Canadians have Ukrainian roots and are calling on NATO to close Ukrainian air space to support the Ukrainian soldiers on the ground who are trying to protect people. They are also calling to disconnect Russia from SWIFT and cancel oil exports to the country.

“When [Russian President Vladimir] Putin stops fighting, we will live without wars. When Ukrainian people start fighting, we will live without Ukraine,” Artenchuk said. “Stand by Ukraine, help us and hear us; please understand Putin is a big, huge monster.”

Aliona Fluerar has been living in Canada for 20 years. She came to Canada after her home country of Moldova was invaded by Russia.

“We were in the same situation of Ukraine right now, today,” Fluerar said. “Putin did the same thing to our country.”

The experience motivated her to stand in solidarity with Ukraine to support her friends and neighbours who have been affected by the Russian invasion.

“I understand. I’ve been through that and I know lots of my friends, brothers, relatives, died in that war,” Fluerar said. “All that I have are just tears and pain because this is too much and it is so hard — to me, he [Putin] is just a monster. He is not a human being.”

It was heartbreaking being surrounded by people who feel powerless while they’re separated from their families in Ukraine and are crying out in distress and horror. But, she said, it has been amazing to see the community come together and stand in solidarity with Ukraine.

The rally in Brandon plays an important role in spreading information about the need to protect Ukraine, rally organizer Vasyl Marchuk said.

Early Friday he called his brother in Ukraine, who could hear bombs dropping and explosions moving closer. The airport near his village had been blown out.

It is hard being in Canada because he cannot fight in Ukraine, so he and others are doing what they can to spread important information on the invasion. Marchuk said the hope is to open people’s eyes to the danger Putin poses to the world.

“Putin would like to occupy Ukraine and all of Europe, because he tried to be like a dictator of the world before,” Marchuk said. “Hitler had the same plans and he failed, but he made a lot of damage.”

Adelina Krugovykh’s grandmother lives in Ukraine. It has been incredibly scary because she is alone in the country.

“She is really, really terrified,” Krugovykh said. “Nobody expected this.”

Krugovykh and her family visited Ukraine six months ago — at the time a possible Russian invasion was not even on the radar, she said.

It is has been frightening to see how quickly the situation changed for her country.

“It’s really terrifying,” Krugovykh said. “If there’s any way that people in Canada can support Ukraine — if it’s by posting stuff or just praying for Ukraine, it would be really nice and really appreciated by all the Ukrainians in Ukraine and here in Canada as well.”

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