'It's a scary thing': Saskatoon Ukrainian community concerned over brewing conflict
Iryna Matsiuk says the news coming from Ukraine is troubling and concerning.
"This is not something you think is real, but then the war comes and knocks on your door,” said Matsiuik, with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Saskatoon.
Russia has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine's border, demanding that NATO promise it will never allow Ukraine to join and that other actions, such as stationing alliance troops in former Soviet bloc countries, be curtailed.
Matsiuk is one of the speakers at a virtual town hall Tuesday featuring Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Matsiuk hopes to push for support and highlight the concern for those in Ukraine.
“The safety of families and friends, because if something starts happening, what do we do, there will be millions of people displaced again."
Canada has already imposed a lengthy series of sanctions related to Russia dating back to 2014 when its military forcibly annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
That 2014 conflict is on the minds of Rostyk and Olesya Hursky who moved from Ukraine to Canada in 1992 and 2001 respectively.
They have three children born in Canada and say, they are raising them to be proud of their Ukrainian heritage.
When they watch the political unrest unfolding in Ukraine, a country that Rostyk Hursky says has never left his heart, it is troubling.
With family still in Ukraine, the escalation with Russia hits home.
“It’s a scary thing because as a parent you think what would you do in that situation,” Olesya Hursky told CTV News.
She still has close ties to Ukraine, the couple founding a non-profit organization called Stream of Hopes that sends supplies and money to orphans in Ukraine.
She says she’s talked to friends in Ukraine.
“It’s constant pressure and depressing potentially getting bombed any day and even figuring out where the nearest bomb shelter is and what you’d take with you,” Hursky said.
They’re part of the nearly one and a half million Ukrainian Canadians living in Canada.
They’re thankful for the help governments like Canada have provided, but fear it’s only the start.
“Now is enough, but for God’s sake and things escalate, that’s when I think people of Ukraine will need support and help,” Rostyk Hursky said.
With Canadian Press and Associated Press files
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.