City woman afraid for her family in Ukraine

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This article was published 18/02/2022 (1353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TANYA Liahusha, who immigrated to Winnipeg from Ukraine in 2019 to pursue her studies, fears her mother and twin sister will be trapped in the crossfire as tension escalates in her home country.

The two women live in Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine. Liahusha calls them every day, terrified the border clash between Russia and Ukraine could reach them.

“I cannot help in any way right now,” Liahusha, 32, told the Free Press Thursday. “I have very strong, mixed feelings and I feel sad about it.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week Canada would provide $7.8 million in weapons and ammunition, along with a $500-million loan, to Ukraine due to the threat of Russian military aggression.

The Defence Department announced Sunday that Canada’s military was moving troops out of Ukraine, leaving some — including Liahusha — to fear that an invasion from Russia is all but guaranteed.

“I’m fearing that the situation will escalate and it will affect ordinary people, not just politicians, or diplomats,” she said.

She left Ukraine in part because of the conflict. She studied marketing at the University of Winnipeg and now works in the business.

“Years ago, I felt nothing good was going to happen in Ukraine any time soon, and this was one of the reasons why I decided to move out of Ukraine, because the political situation was so unstable,” she said.

Her fear has returned. In particular, she worries the Russian military will shut down the bank used by her mother and sister, that the borders will be closed and they’ll be trapped in the country without help — and that she won’t be able to see them for a long time.

“I think my sister should have moved here, but it wasn’t possible, because of COVID,” she said.

“So we were actually planning, she would visit me or stay with me for a while and apply for her visa to come, but COVID (ruined) this plan. So now we have what we have.”

In Canada, Manitoba has the largest population of people with Ukrainian heritage.

Winnipeg’s large Ukrainian community has come out in solidarity with their loved ones back home and called on the federal government to provide aid to Ukraine. Earlier this month, more than 100 people gathered at city hall to rally for Ukraine.

Liahusha said she wants to speak out because not everyone knows the gravity of the situation.

“I want people to know what is really happening and that ordinary people who live there, they have nothing to do with politicians,” she said. “They have to suffer, and they have to live in fear because of this situation.”

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca