Dauphin has strong ties with Ukraine, both culturally and directly and the invasion of the Eastern European country by Russian forces is causing unease among many local residents of Ukrainian heritage.
“I would say they are very much disturbed by the war. I’m getting so many texts and phone calls and people just asking how is everything there,” said Rev. Fr. Oleg Bodnarski of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection.
“So it’s very disturbing, you know, because nobody needs this in 2022.”
Fr. Bodnarski himself has a vested interested in the events unfolding in Ukraine as the majority of his family still lives in the country.
“My whole family is there. My mom, 99 per cent of my family is there,” he said. “I’m here with my wife and two kids and my wife’s sister and her husband. The rest of the family is in Ukraine.”
Fr. Bodnarski said his sister fled the city to a village in the Ternopil area where his mother lives to avoid the bombing and support their 72-year-old mother.
He is contact with his family three times a day and said at this point they are safe and in good health as they are currently abut 500 kilometres from the fighting.
Fr. Bodnarski is also encouraged by the resistance being shown by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and ordinary citizens alike. It is difficult to predict when and where the fighting will end.
“Our soldiers are fighting. They’re very brave. So nobody knows,” he said. “Mr Putin, what he’s doing it’s not human, let’s put it that way. I hope that the world, we will wake up soon. It’s strange that Ukraine is having to go through this alone.”
Conflict is nothing new for the country, he added, as the war has been ongoing since the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. This escalation of the conflict caught him by surprise, however.
“Nobody expected this. I personally thought Mr. Putin was bluffing, Until yesterday when at five in the morning they started to attack and launched rockets on Ukrainian airports,” Fr. Bodnarski said. “This is a so very sad situation. But we hope that our soldiers will protect Ukraine. Because Ukraine wants to be a democratic country, a free country and we don’t want to go back to the Russian regime. We were lucky in 1991 that we separated. I remember that year, it was the year when I graduated from high school.”
While there is little that the community can do in a tangible way to bring about an end to the fighting, Bodnarski hopes everyone keeps the people of Ukraine in their prayers,
To that end, a vigil was held in the city this past Sunday and a rally is planned for City Hall this coming Wednesday, Mar. 2, at 6 p.m.
“At this point it is very important, I believe, for us here as a community to have awareness about what’s happening. And people who ask what can I do, my advice is they just keep praying. I encourage them to pray and let diplomats do their jobs,” Bodnarski said. “They’re trying to convince Mr. Putin to back off, but still he doesn’t. I would just encourage people to keep Ukrainians in their prayers.”
As for his family, Fr. Bodnarski said they will remain put where they are and hope for happier days ahead.
“They hope that one day it’s going to stop and they’ll be happy again,” he said, adding the world needs to stop talking and take concrete action such as granting Ukraine membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “I just hope that Ukraine will win in this war. I just wish that this war will end, that Ukraine will regain Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and that people there can start rebuilding and move on with a democracy, living in a nice European country.”
For people looking to contribute directly to those efforts, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) established the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
The Province of Manitoba has committed $150,000 to the appeal, while Saskatchewan has contributed $100,000, Ontario $300,000 and the Province of Alberta will donate $1 million. There are also many organizational and individual donors.
“The UCC and CUF are also pleased to announce that the Temerty Foundation has generously donated $750,000 to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal,” said Orest Sklierenko, CUF’s president and CEO. “We are extremely grateful to them for their generous contribution and ask all Canadians to join in our efforts to help people in Ukraine who have had to flee their homes,” added Alexandra Chyczij, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
The Ukraine Appeal Fund has raised $2,390,000 to date, well beyond the preliminary Phase I target of $1.5 million. As a result, a Phase II target of $5 million has been announced, aimed at continued supplies of food and medicine for displaced Ukrainians.
Provincial Support
Premier Heather Stefanson offered Manitoba’s support to the democratically elected government of Ukraine, Friday, noting moves by Russia to send troops into eastern Ukraine are a violation of Ukraine’s territory and sovereignty.
“Manitoba is home to thousands of citizens of Ukrainian descent who have watched Russia’s buildup of military forces in the region and repeated threats to the sovereignty of Ukraine,” Stefanson said.
“It is unacceptable behaviour and I thoroughly condemn those actions.”
The premier said she agrees with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s condemnation of Russia and the federal government’s promise to impose economic sanctions on Russia.
Stefanson also supports the government of Canada’s decision to send military equipment and give financial loans to Ukraine.
The provocation by Russia in the region must be a constant worry to the more than 180,000 Ukrainian Manitobans, she said.
“It is hard to imagine how difficult watching the news must be for so many Manitobans who have loved ones in Ukraine,” Stefanson said. “I share your concerns and Manitoba will support the federal government in everything it can to pressure Russia to end its aggression and restore peace in the region.”
