Kelowna residents from all backgrounds gathered at city hall on Feb. 24, to stand in solidarity with Ukrainians on the three-year anniversary of the Russian military invasion.
More than 150 people stood together to remember Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine. The war has since resulted in thousands of deaths and an unquantifiable amount of damage and destruction.
"For the last few years, every day has been the same. There is still intense fighting on the front lines. Hundreds of soldiers are dying every day. Russia is still bombarding cities," said Denys Seorozhuk, the founder of Kelowna Stands with Ukraine, an organization that has supported those fighting against the Russian invasion.
"Regrettably, over the last couple of years, it has become old news," said Seorozhuk.
Over the last three years, Kelowna Stands with Ukraine has seen more than 1,000 people escape the war and find a home in the Okanagan. Additionally, the organization has sent resources such as bulletproof vests, night vision goggles, trucks, and warm clothes to Ukrainians on the front lines of the war.
Seorozhuk said many Ukrainians who had sought, what they thought to be temporary refuge in the safety of the Okanagan, are finding great difficulty in planning for their future as their work permit expiration date approaches, while war rages on.
Approximately 300,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war have settled in Canada on a temporary permit since Feb. 2022.
Seorozhuk has worked with Kelowna's Member of Parliament Tracy Gray to create a petition to extend the work permits that were issued to Ukrainians, as many of them are still unable to return home.
He said that unfortunately, there is no end in sight to the war that has destroyed and taken over cities the cities of his home country.
"Ukraine is running out of manpower, of resources and military equipment," said Seorozhuk.
Without support from other countries and a ceasefire with Russia, Seorozhuk fears that Ukraine "will collapse."
