'It's devastating': Ukrainians in Canada help families in war zone
Ukrainians in Canada are doing everything they can to help their families overseas as they flee in desperation or go into hiding in Ukraine.
In a cramped hiding space, five kilometres north of Kyiv, Serhii Marchenko’s friends and family are desperately hiding out from the bombing.
“It’s devastating, it destructs myself inside when I’m here and I cannot do anything,” he said.
Marchenko is also Ukrainian, but currently lives in Ontario for college.
The 19-year-old keeps in touch with his loved ones in Ukraine via video conferencing.
"Every night when I talk to my Dad I hear the explosions and I hear that something is going on," he said.
"When I look at his eyes, I see the fear."
His sister’s family has escaped to shelter in the western region, where they received water and food.
"They are escaping in terrible conditions because a lot of people are trying to escape to the west," he said.
Marchenko is doing everything he can to help, that includes coordinating his family’s movements and sending updates.
Meanwhile, Victoria Brunetta is also feeling the pain of seeing her family in crisis overseas.
"They are just trying to get a sense of what their options are at this time and taking it day by day. Actually, hour by hour really," said Brunetta, who lives in Ottawa.
Most of her family is sheltering near Kyiv right now, while some are in the neighbouring country of Georgia.
"My aunt is a nurse so she has been deemed an essential war person," said Brunetta. "Even if she wanted to leave, she needs to be there to help with any possible casualties."
Brunetta started a petition calling for the government to loosen visa restrictions for Ukrainians with family in Canada.
"That is the only way that we can efficiently get our families out," she said. "We have nothing to offer them because if we wanted to fly them out today, we would, but we can’t so that is a scary place to be."
Brunetta says for families that have already left Ukraine, it would mean fewer immigration barriers.
Get in touch
Are you in Ukraine? Do you have family in Ukraine? Are you or your family affected? Email ottawanews@bellmedia.ca.
- Please include your name, location, and contact information if you are willing to speak to a journalist with CTV News.
- Your comments may be used in a CTVNewsOttawa.ca story.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.