Brandon man brings humanitarian aid to Ukraine

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This article was published 22/03/2022 (1331 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon man has safely arrived in Ukraine equipped with essential supplies to aid in the humanitarian crisis in that country.

Vartan Davtian, 37, left behind a decade-long career working in the Virden oil patch to offer his support to Ukrainians.

“I did all I could in Brandon and Canada,” said Davtian, who was born in Armenia but grew up in Ukraine. “I couldn’t just sit there and work, because there is [war] going on.”

He decided the most effective way to provide help would be a boots-on-ground approach in Ukraine.

On March 16, he departed Winnipeg, taking with him suitcases full of medical supplies to bring to Ukraine.

It was an arduous journey that saw him fly out of Toronto to Warsaw, Poland, followed by an hours-long bus ride to the Ukrainian border. He did not provide his exact location due to privacy concerns.

He spent his first night in Ukraine in a school that had been converted into a shelter for those fleeing the war.

“People were sleeping in the gym and it was basically all these people sleeping on the floor, so tight to each other. It was so many people in there on the floor and no room on the floor left,” Davtian said. “The picture will be stuck in my brain forever. I was heartbroken.”

More than 3.1 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations. However, many Ukrainians have been unable to evacuate the war zone and now lack access to food, water, electricity and medical supplies.

Davtian is currently in a safe haven, but it is difficult to feel any sense of security because air raid sirens are constantly sounding, warning of potential Russian airstrikes or bombings.

“It’s really exhausting for those people. My sister is just panicking and paranoid already. Every time she listens to sirens, it just drives everyone crazy,” Davtian said. “Most of the rockets [the Russians] launch, it’s at four or five in the morning. People just can’t sleep at all. It’s just sirens going off.”

During his first morning in Ukraine, rockets were launched 40 kilometres from where he was located.

Living in a war-torn country is akin to existing in another world, he said.

He will be walking in the heart of the city where civilians are working to protect the streets from advancing Russian troops. Davtian will often be stopped and have his passport and papers checked to ensure he is not a threat.

Most intersections he encounters have checkpoints and barricades erected to protect against Russian tanks.

“It’s true war right now. It’s not anymore the Ukraine it used to be.”

The war has destroyed major cities, he said, and it has been heartbreaking watching people struggling to survive after losing everything.

Between Feb. 24 and March 15, 1,900 civilian casualties were recorded in Ukraine, according to the UN. This includes 726 people killed, with the majority of deaths caused by explosive weapons in populated areas. A small town where his parents and sister still live is just one of the communities that has been destroyed by Russian forces.

One of the more striking images he encountered is a memorial to children who have been killed in the war. There is a street filled with empty strollers, each symbolizing an infant death resulting from the invasion.

This is why donations are necessary, he said, and expressed gratitude for the people who have supported Ukraine.

Canada itself has allocated an additional $25 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the start of 2022, including up to $10 million in matching funds to the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal. The Government of Canada has also offered up to $620 million in sovereign loans to support Ukraine’s economic resilience.

Davtian will remain in Ukraine for as long as needed to help in any way possible, he said.

“It is a tough time, but we have to stay strong.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp