‘Let us hope this first year of war is the last

By Barrhaven Independent Staff

It has been an emotional week for Khrystyna. She lives in fear, looking over her shoulder. Her heart is at home, in the Ukraine, where her husband and brothers are fighting. She prays every day, asking God that they can stay alive.

She is afraid. She was hesitant to talk to the Barrhaven Independent. She doesn’t want her name on social media, fearing that it might put a target on the backs of her husband and brothers. She agreed to talk but only on the condition that we not publish her last name.

“I can’t help but think that there are Russians in the community sending information home about Ukrainians that are here,” she said. “I don’t want to put targets on their backs. I don’t want to put targets on the backs of my children, myself, and my cousins in Canada that I am staying with.”

Khrystyna and her family are from the city of Kharkiv, a city of about 1.5 million people located about 40 kilometres from the Russian border. Kharkiv was one of the first cities attacked by Russia a year ago. She was able to escape the city with her children. They made it to the capital city of Kyiv, and from there went to Poland. Their final destination was Canada, which has the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world after Russia.

They flew to Montreal, where their cousins drove to pick them up. Although Khrystyna is thankful for being safe in the suburbs south of Ottawa, she has not had a chance to enjoy it.

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“Sure, it’s nice here and I am very thankful to be here, and everyone here has been very nice and have given us clothing and toys for the children, but all I can think about is home,” she said. “Our city is gone. It was flattened by bombs and missiles. It feels like all of my beautiful memories of home have been replaced by my last memories of destroyed buildings and of friends who were killed and by the smell of the bombs and the dust. I don’t know if that will ever go away.”

On March 6 of last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a declaration to give Kharkiv the status of Hero City for its strength and resilience during the war.

The Russians advanced to Kharkiv Feb. 24, 2022. The Battle of Kharkiv, as it is now known, last until mid-May, when all Russians forces withdrew and retreated toward the Russian border. The battle has been referred to by the Ukrainian government as the “Stalingrad of the 21st Century.”

Khrystyna said she is proud of the people of her city and her country for standing up to the invasion, but worries about the heroes who will survive.

“I have PTSD,” she said. “All of us who lived through the invasion, in every Ukrainian city, have PTSD. I want the fighting to end and I want my husband and my brothers to come here and start a new life. I miss our home, but our home is gone. I want my children to know their father and uncles as brave Ukrainian heroes. But I worry that they will come here as different people with their lives destroyed. I am mentally broken. I can’t imagine how mentally broken they will be if we are lucky enough to be reunited with them.”

Supporting Ukraine

Hundreds of Ukrainian Canadians and Ukrainians who escaped to Canada within the past year were part of the crowd that packed the Flora footbridge over the Rideau Canal last week to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Governor General Mary

Simon, a former Barrhaven resident, was there with Canada’s Ukrainian Ambassador Yuliya Kovaliv for what was called a Stand for Ukraine flashmob.

“We are gathered here today to mark a day we hoped would never happen,” said the Governor General as she addressed the gathering. “We have also seen the strength of humanity. Brave and resilient Ukrainians willing to fight for their freedom, and the freedom of our world. Citizens standing firm and pushing back against their aggressors. People from many nations offering help in the name of democracy.”

Simon acknowledged the large Ukrainian population in Canada and emphasized the support that

Canada has had and will continue to have for the war-torn nation.

“The Ukrainian community of Canada, one of the largest Ukrainian diaspora populations in the world, has been steadfast in raising support for their families and friends in the heart of great danger,” she said. “As the attacks continue, the humanitarian crisis deepens. We need to take every opportunity to support Ukraine. We need to help people find safety, and moments of normalcy amidst the chaos. We need to support Ukrainians as they rebuild their country, even as they fight for their country’s future.

“We must face this crisis together across borders. My thoughts go out to the

Ukrainian people, to the child whose only wish is to go back to school, to the soldiers who only want to be reunited with their families, to the teachers, nurses and community leaders who are trying to maintain a sense of normalcy when everything is all but normal.

“From the first day and all the devastating days since, Canada has stood firmly alongside the Ukrainian people, and we will keep doing so. As we approach one year of Russia’s continued attacks, let us all hope for lasting peace, for families brought back together, for the rebuilding of homes and livelihoods. Let us hope that this first year of war is the last.”