Ukrainians in Montreal reflect on 1,000 days of war
Posted November 19, 2024 5:25 pm.
Last Updated November 19, 2024 6:09 pm.
It’s been 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Thousands of lives have been lost, and there’s no end to the war in sight.
Ukrainians in Montreal are reflecting on the war that’s gripped their home country and changed their lives forever.
Concerned for her daughter’s safety, Svitlana Kirian moved to Montreal from Ukraine in February 2023.
“She left Ukraine when she was seven years old and it was my biggest motivation to leave the country. Because with every single day she stayed, she spent more and more time in some basement in the school, for protection (from) bombs and rockets.
“I have some friends who died because they protected our country, so just after this war, I understood how Ukrainians are so brave.
“It’s a challenge every day because we can’t be physically in Ukraine, but our brain and heart (are) always with Ukraine. So we try to support, do donation to soldier who had like some problem with health. And I’m very appreciate for these young guys who do this for us because it’s so important to be together when we have this problem.”
Angel Zytynsky, a third-generation Ukrainian and the owner of Zytynsky’s Deli in Rosemont, says her shop feels like a little piece of home for those who have had to flee the war.
“Last year when a little girl came in here with her mom and she came in and she saw my Ukrainian stuff and she says, ‘it’s like at home.’ And I had to translate to the people that didn’t understand. And everyone’s crying in the store. Meanwhile, this girl feels like she’s in Ukraine, in her home. It was very touching.”
Denis Starcencov is among those worrying for his family back in Ukraine.
“Many people forget that this war is happening.
“And as the war goes forward, it becomes more and more complex. And I feel like people are scared of complex things, so they try to drift it away from their attention. So, I think what’s important for people right now is to keep compassion for anyone who is suffering in this conflict.”
Michael Shwec, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Quebec Provincial Council, says Ukrainians living at home and abroad have shown unwavering support and a resolve for victory.
“So while everybody’s concerned that it’s taking long, it’s really how much Ukraine’s partners can help Ukraine, very much arming Ukraine. Ukraine never asked for soldiers, they asked for arms. We need to really be able to help them win. And so Ukrainians here on this 1,000th day are saying, we can do this, we can do this, and we’re going all the way.
Quebec really went way far and beyond what anybody was expecting. They opened not only their coffers, they opened their hearts as a people and it was truly, truly nice for me to be able to represent Ukrainians in Quebec, because the Quebec government was doing so much.
“What’s a little bit disenchanting is now there seems to be a turn in the policy, whereby, the Quebec government’s saying, ‘well, it’s been three years, and it was a three-year program, so, that’s it, it’s over.’ And what they’re doing, even though most of the displaced people are receiving extensions from Canada, three-year extensions, many of them to 2027, the Quebec government is cutting them off from the RAMQ and from social assistance.”
