Gogvozd and her children, and about 60 other Ukrainian nationals, boarded a flight to Edmonton on Monday night – refugees fleeing the war as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reaches its fifth week. Although it is difficult to gather exact numbers from an active war zone, the war has killed more than 1,000 civilians and injured another 1,800, according to the United Nations this week. More than 10 million Ukrainians – a quarter of the country’s population – have been evicted from their homes, including nearly four million who have fled the country. Gvozd and her sons Bogdan, 9, and Artem, 6, will stay with her brother-in-law, Andrii Nabutovskyi, in Red Deer, Alta. Speaking in Ukrainian, Gogvozd said she felt grateful and relieved as she got off the plane after a difficult journey from Ukraine. “The first impressions are that you welcome us so kindly. We are here for the first time,” he said. “What to say; I am very grateful that you accept us. [As] Ukrainians, thank you sincerely. “ Some time ago, Gogvozd’s life in the central Ukrainian city of Cherkasy was quiet. She worked as an accountant. Her boys went to school. The Russian army then invaded Ukraine on February 24. “They were just normal kids going to school every day like any ordinary Ukrainian family,” Nabutovskyi said of Gogvozd’s sons. “And that horrible day, the war started and they spent a lot of time in the basement, because you never know when an artillery will come and it could end your life right there. “It’s difficult, because you think the war will end in a few days; but it never did.”
“Looking for a new beginning”
As the sounds of nearby explosions intensified, Gvozd decided to leave her home. She put some things in her car and drove her sons across the border to Poland, eventually finding her way to Warsaw.
“This is just a one-minute notice. Only basic necessities, you know,” Nabutovsky said, pointing to a luggage cart full of family belongings.
“They left all their toys and all their belongings, their whole lives behind basically. And they are looking at a new beginning, at least until the war is over.”
A worker watches an excavator clear the rubble of a government building hit by Russian missiles in Mykolaiv on March 29, 2022. More than 10 million Ukrainians – a quarter of the country’s population – have been evicted from their homes. (Bulent Kilic / AFP / Getty Images)
When they arrived in Edmonton on Monday night, all the refugees were met by donor families – mostly relatives and friends living in Alberta and Saskatchewan. About 30 families are acting as hosts.
The Edmonton-based Canadian-Polish Historical Society organized the aid mission in collaboration with former conservative MLA Thomas Lukaszuk and former Alberta Prime Minister Ed Stelmach.
The plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was donated by Polish Airlines LOT. Royal Dutch Shell donated 50 tonnes of aircraft fuel. Edmonton International Airport waived all fees.
The plane will return to Poland on Tuesday loaded with donations such as surgical equipment, diagnostic equipment and first aid supplies.
Ivan Lypovyk opens his home in Edmonton for refugees, hosting three adults and two children.
He expected to pick up 13 people on Monday, but only one of the families made it on the flight from Warsaw.
Lypovyk said he could not stop thinking about the people who were left behind, unable to get their passports and visa documents on time.
“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I am very happy for those who did it and I am waiting for the others to come.”
Lypovyk said of him that accepting friends who needed help was “stressful but manageable”.
Ivan Lypovyk opens his home in Edmonton to Ukrainian nationals, taking in three adults and two children. It expects to accommodate a total of 13 people. (Nathan Gross / CBC)
He said he knows there is a lot to take care of right away, including arranging Social Security numbers and health care cards in Alberta.
It is suspected that meeting these immediate needs will be easier than the long-term challenges that refugees may face.
“To start living their own lives, that’s their goal now. The rest of the emotional stuff, I’m sure, will start later,” he said.
“So are my friends and relatives who are still in Ukraine [are] right now. They go with adrenaline “.
“No one prepared for the worst”
Lypovyk moved to Canada from Ukraine in 2008. He now owns a small business and will employ three of his guests, including a couple with two children. He was looking forward to greeting his guests and consoling them, having escaped the horror of a sudden and horrible war. “No one expected that. No one prepared for the worst,” he said. “No one lives their life to learn that one day, they must have a complete plan, how you will react to the war. “I will hug them. What can I do?”
Refugees flock to Polish border after Russian airstrikes on Lviv
The Polish border town of Medyka has seen a recent influx of refugees fleeing Russian airstrikes this weekend around Lviv in western Ukraine. 1:54
title: “Ukrainians Fleeing Russian Invasion Arrive In Edmonton On Aid Flight " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-30” author: “Michael Haley”
Gogvozd and her children, and about 60 other Ukrainian nationals, boarded a flight to Edmonton on Monday night – refugees fleeing the war as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reaches its fifth week. Although it is difficult to gather exact numbers from an active war zone, the war has killed more than 1,000 civilians and injured another 1,800, according to the United Nations this week. More than 10 million Ukrainians – a quarter of the country’s population – have been evicted from their homes, including nearly four million who have fled the country. Gogvozd and her sons Bogdan, 9, and Artem, 6, will stay with her brother-in-law, Andrii Nabutovskyi, in Red Deer, Alta. Speaking in Ukrainian, Gogvozd said she felt grateful and relieved as she got off the plane after a difficult journey from Ukraine. “The first impressions are that you welcome us so kindly. We are here for the first time,” he said. “What to say; I am very grateful that you accept us. [As] Ukrainians, thank you sincerely. “ Some time ago, Gogvozd’s life in the central Ukrainian city of Cherkasy was quiet. She worked as an accountant. Her boys went to school.
The residents of Edmonton welcome the arriving Ukrainian refugees
Andrii Navutovskyi and Ivan Lypovyk are just two of the Edmondoni residents who have gone to host families fleeing the war in Ukraine. 1:21
The Russian army then invaded Ukraine on February 24.
“They were just normal kids going to school every day like any ordinary Ukrainian family,” Nabutovskyi said of Gogvozd’s sons.
“And that horrible day, the war started and they spent a lot of time in the basement, because you never know when an artillery will come and it could end your life right there.
“It’s difficult, because you think the war will end in a few days; but it never did.”
“Looking for a new beginning”
As the sounds of nearby explosions intensified, Gogvozd decided to leave her home. She put some things in her car and drove her sons across the border to Poland, eventually finding her way to Warsaw.
“This is just a one-minute notice. Only basic necessities, you know,” Nabutovsky said, pointing to a luggage cart full of family belongings.
“They left all their toys and all their belongings, their whole lives behind basically. And they are looking at a new beginning, at least until the war is over.”
A worker watches an excavator clear the rubble of a government building hit by Russian missiles in Mykolaiv on March 29, 2022. More than 10 million Ukrainians – a quarter of the country’s population – have been evicted from their homes. (Bulent Kilic / AFP / Getty Images)
When they arrived in Edmonton on Monday night, all the refugees were met by donor families – mostly relatives and friends living in Alberta and Saskatchewan. About 30 families are acting as hosts.
The Edmonton-based Canadian-Polish Historical Society organized the aid mission in collaboration with former conservative MLA Thomas Lukaszuk and former Alberta Prime Minister Ed Stelmach.
The plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was donated by Polish Airlines LOT. Royal Dutch Shell donated 50 tonnes of aircraft fuel. Edmonton International Airport waived all fees.
The plane will return to Poland on Tuesday loaded with donations such as surgical equipment, diagnostic equipment and first aid supplies.
Ivan Lypovyk opens his home in Edmonton for refugees, hosting three adults and two children.
He expected to pick up 13 people on Monday, but only one of the families made it on the flight from Warsaw.
Lypovyk said he could not stop thinking about the people who were left behind, unable to get their passports and visa documents on time.
“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I am very happy for those who did it and I am waiting for the others to come.”
Lypovyk said of him that accepting friends who needed help was “stressful but manageable”.
Ivan Lypovyk opens his home in Edmonton to Ukrainian nationals, taking in three adults and two children. It expects to accommodate a total of 13 people. (Nathan Gross / CBC)
He said he knows there is a lot to take care of right away, including arranging Social Security numbers and health care cards in Alberta.
It is suspected that meeting these immediate needs will be easier than the long-term challenges that refugees may face.
“To start living their own lives, that’s their goal now. The rest of the emotional stuff, I’m sure, will start later,” he said.
“So are my friends and relatives who are still in Ukraine [are] right now. They go with adrenaline “.
“No one prepared for the worst”
Lypovyk moved to Canada from Ukraine in 2008. He now owns a small business and will employ three of his guests, including a couple with two children. He was looking forward to greeting his guests and consoling them, having escaped the horror of a sudden and horrible war. “No one expected that. No one prepared for the worst,” he said. “No one lives their life to learn that one day, they must have a complete plan, how you will react to the war. “I will hug them. What can I do?”
Refugees flock to Polish border after Russian airstrikes on Lviv
The Polish border town of Medyka has seen a recent influx of refugees fleeing Russian airstrikes this weekend around Lviv in western Ukraine. 1:54
