In the middle of the night, M. awakes with a start. Grabbing her phone, she calls her mother, who is several time zones and thousands of kilometres away from Airdrie. M.’s family lives in Ukraine.
“I call and wait for her to answer. Sometimes she doesn't answer because she is in a [bomb] shelter because there was another [air] siren going on,” M. said. “I pray and usually I cry before I try and go back to sleep. I don't remember the last time I showered. Every moment of the day I'm trying to get ahold of somebody to find out if they're safe.”
On February 24th, 2022, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin announced that he would begin what he called a “special military operation” in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine. However, in the following days, Russian forces have pushed deep into Ukraine from all sides and by all means; by air, sea, and land. The Russian invasion has also set its sights on the capital, attempting to encircle it. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine comes after months of Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s Eastern flank.
“If we don't stand up for Ukraine right now, what are we living for? It's within your heart. It's your home. It's your land,” M. said. “Throughout history Ukrainians fought Russia for many, many years to be independent, to be a separate country and even if they occupy our land, Ukraine is going to always be Ukraine no matter what. It’s our land.”
M., whose identity is being kept anonymous to protect her family, hails from a city in Ukraine, that is also not being named to protect her loved ones. She has been in constant contact with her family, trying to persuade her mother, who is 76, to leave and head for the Polish border. Only days ago, her mother was still hopeful that the Russian invasion would not permeate their lives, telling her daughter she couldn’t drop everything and simply leave.
“She was saying ‘I can't just leave right now I have my job; I need to ask for vacation’ and I said you need to leave right now because the war has started.”
Across the country, thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing and heading west, heading to M.’s city, hoping to find respite from the shelling and bombing of the Russian military. After weeks of pleading, M.’s mother relented to leave her home.
“I started looking for anyone; calling my friends that I haven't seen for 15 years to find a vehicle for my mom. I contacted a friend who is part of the church that I went to when I was in Ukraine,” M. said. “Apparently the men from the church bought as much fuel as they could and they take their vehicles and they find women and children to transport to Poland.”
Poland, which borders western Ukraine, has been accepting tens of thousands of Ukrainian women and children pouring in through its borders. Late Saturday it was estimated that Poland has accepted over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.
“A lot of my friends, they take their family to the border, trying to save their wives and children and they say goodbye and they know they might not see them again. They go back to protect Ukraine.”
Though M.’s mom is indeed leaving, she must wait her turn, as vehicles transporting Ukrainians to the Polish border are filling up quickly with children and pregnant women, and there are upwards of 15 hour waits at the Polish border. M.’s other family members including her father, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew will all stay in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that men between the ages of 18 and 60 would have to stay in the country, encouraging them to take up arms to defend the nation. President Zelensky himself has stayed behind in Kyiv, amid reports that American officials pled with him to evacuate, which he refused.
“Some of my best friends there, they are telling me to stop asking them to leave. They tell me ‘If I don't stay, who will stand up for my country? Who will protect our country?’” she said. “They know that they're going to fight until death and they're afraid. I believe that courage is action even though you're afraid and that's what they're doing.”
The city that M. grew up in is considered a cultural hub in Ukraine. Cobble-stone lines the streets where centuries-old buildings stand, preserving history, art, and culture, which is now in the cross-hair of a Russian invasion.
M. explained that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has simmered for centuries, but that no matter what, Ukrainians are deeply tied to their country's identity, culture, and own history.
“Russia always tried to subdue Ukraine and convince us that we are Russians, but we are not the same as them. Even though we may understand or speak the Russian language that doesn't make us Russians,” she said. “
M. last visited her home country and city she was born in a decade ago.
“It's a very cultural city. There are beautiful musicians standing on the street corners playing music; people go to the city center to hang out; even old men go there to play chess,” she said. “It’s the city I grew up in. It's the city where I was baptized. I hope one day when it's peaceful again and I can take my family, my children and show them where I am from.”
Across the globe monuments in cities large and small, including in Airdrie, are lit in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, showing solidarity with Ukraine and her people.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com
Wed, Jun 26, 9:00 AM
Full-time, Permanent, Labour