The Ukrainian community came together at rallies and vigils across the country and around the world on Sunday to commemorate the occasion and honour the lives lost.
Ukrainians have been living through war since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022.
Many gathered at Calgary’s City Hall plaza in the city’s downtown, including Anhelina Taran from northern Ukraine, who lived through the war for a few months before deciding to leave.
“Honestly, I don’t know how to describe. What does it mean, war in your country?” she says.
“You don’t have a normal life, you’re not able to go to work, you’re not able to build your future, you’re not able to plan your future. You just know that today you have one day, and you’ll never know if the next day will start or not.”
While the grim updates of war may shift to the background for some Canadians, for those from the Ukrainian community here outside City Hall in the freezing temperatures, it’s a daily dark reality.
“It’s a constant wound in my heart. It’s really difficult to read the news every day, and it’s difficult to think about something else because every day, I see the posts from my friends who stay in Ukraine about raids, attacks,” said Anna Tselukhina, the president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in Calgary.
The unprovoked attack by Russia has killed more than a million people, and millions more have been displaced.
And still, Ukrainians remain resilient.
“But right now, it’s just difficult because the conditions during the wintertime are worsened just because Russia tried to use winter as a weapon,” Tselukhina said.
“They hit almost all power plants, so some of the major cities. [Ukrainians] are without heating — without electricity for days, for weeks.”
Ukrainians and allies are coming together at rallies and vigils across the country and around the world to commemorate the occasion and honour the lives lost.
While many here now call Calgary and Canada home, some say the fall referendum questions announced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, which include restricting social services for newcomers, are concerning.
“Obviously, we worry about this, and we hope that we will have an opportunity to talk either to Danielle Smith or somebody from her team about this situation and how this will affect Ukrainians,” Tselukhina said.
Smith defended her government’s decision to make more than half of the questions about immigration on Saturday, saying she wants to rein in the bubbling population of non-permanent residents, which she says has become financially unsustainable.
On Friday, she was unable to say if controlling immigration would be enough to eliminate what’s expected to be a multi-billion-dollar deficit this year. While she didn’t provide a total estimate for health-care and education savings, one is expected.
Meanwhile, the community is calling for continued support for Ukraine’s independence and its people, and to build a path towards peace.
“I just want that, we’re not extending this support for Ukraine. I would like to finish this war,” Taran said.
“And if rally can remind people that the war is still going on — it’s not over. Because everyone, like in the taxi and shops ask me, ‘The war is over?’ No.”