It was a solemn milestone being marked on Monday at the legislature, as the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was recognized.
Members of the legislature as well as those from the Ukrainian community were on hand for the ceremonies. Those in attendance included representatives with the Saskatchewan-Ukraine Relations Advisory Committee and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Saskatchewan Provincial Council.
Those in attendance spoke of the pain and suffering the Ukrainian people faced, and also their resistance.
“Three years ago the Russian regime embarked on a war of conquest and they boasted it would last three days,” said Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Saskatchewan Provincial Council President Elena Krueger. “Three years later however, Ukraine still stands. Kyiv the capital remains free. Ukrainian people remain united in defiance to Russian tyranny. And we in Saskatchewan and Canada remain steadfast in our resolve to stand with Ukraine.”
Krueger described the actions of Russia as genocide, and said Russia and its leaders “must attend for its war crimes.”
This was among a number of events across Saskatchewan marking the anniversary of the invasion. In Regina on Sunday, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress had organized a car rally that wrapped up with ceremonies at the Holodomor Monument located just to the southeast of the Legislature building.
At the event Monday, Legislative Secretary Responsible for Saskatchewan-Ukraine Relations Jamie Martens made an important announcement regarding that memorial. She said funding of $50,000 from the Provincial Capital Commission would go towards restoring the brickwork and platform of the Holomodor Monument.
The monument, titled Bitter Memories of Childhood, was put up in 2015 in memory of those who suffered through the Holodomor famine brought on by the Soviet Union in 1932 and 1933.
Martens and her family have a strong connection to Ukraine, and spoke of what the anniversary meant.
“I think that it shows the resilience of the Ukrainian people, that Russia was a little bit too confident and unfortunately the invasion has shown that the Ukrainian people will stand together and from all over the world,” Martens said.
“I think that so many people respect the Ukrainian people and especially here in Saskatchewan, we’re very, very happy to have hosted as many displaced Ukrainians as we could.”
It was noted in a provincial news release that Saskatchewan has taken in over 8,000 displaced Ukrainians since the war began.
Among those sharing her story at the commemoration was Yuliia Rahat. She was an obstetrician in Ukraine who fled with her family to Saskatchewan. She noted her father was among those captured by the Russians in the war and is now in a Russian prison.
“It’s just one of a million stories, you know,” said Rahat to reporters. She added: “I think a lot of people have stories worse than my stories, you know, because I didn’t live in occupation. I didn’t (have) all the problems that a lot of people (had).“
Rahat said she was “happy that I’m here” in Saskatchewan, and grateful for all the people that supported them, but notes a lot of people still wake up to “airstrikes and missiles in my country.”
As for the recently-embarked peace talks, with President Donald Trump apparently shutting Ukraine’s leadership out of the process to this point, Rahat was not happy.
“I think all Ukrainian people are in shock, you know, about all this situation,” said Rahat. She said a lot of Ukrainian people had paid a very big price and there “should be justice.”
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