Ukrainians hold rally in downtown Saskatoon to support loved ones

A sea of blue and yellow could be seen in downtown Saskatoon on Sunday afternoon.

Members of the Ukrainian community were united as one in a march at Saskatoon City Hall. There was Ukrainian music being played and recitations of poetry done by Ukraine’s Taras Shevchenko.

It has been a difficult stretch since the war with Russia began for all Ukrainian people, especially those with loved ones stuck in the country.

Pat Tymchatyn, the vice-president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, explained how difficult it is to get through each day.

“Watching a war in live time just brings it home to you in terms of how strong the Ukrainian people are,” Tymchatyn said.

“Trying to get in contact with your family and friends is really difficult depending on where they are. I think everybody is on heightened stress (and) anxiety.”

A lot of Canadians have ties to Ukraine and that’s why there are so many people wanting to show their love and support through various fundraisers and events, according to Tymchatyn. She explains how the UCC is helping those in Ukraine who need it most.

“We support medical supplies as well as the territorial guard,” she said. “The territorial guard are those people who live in villages and towns who have joined part of the war zone. There are average individual people who volunteer to protect their neighbourhoods, cities and towns.

“None of these people (have anything) other than being given a rifle. They have no helmets, they have no bodyguards (and) they have no uniform, so that’s what we are supporting.”

Tymchatyn says most of the funds are going towards the Ukrainian army, but stresses these people also play a significant role and should be taken care of.

She adds the Saskatoon community has been more than gracious enough through these truly difficult times.

“I think we’ve had lots of support from different types of organizations,” she said. “All the dance groups in Saskatoon are collecting goods at the warehouse and will be shipping them off to Ukraine. I think everybody is chipping in at the level that they can chip in.”

While the support has been top-notch, there is still a shocking realization that there is a real war taking place in this day and age for Tymchatyn.

“I think it’s overwhelming to see a war in 2022 and that should be a wakeup call to all of us,” she said. “When you can see the bombs being levelled on people’s homes and people’s apartment buildings and you can see people being bombed in hospitals, that should wake us all up.

“This isn’t a war only in Ukraine, this is a war for democracy. For everybody in the western world, we should be doing what we can to support democracy.”