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While it’s been nearly four years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian-Canadians continue to feel supported.
Executive director and CEO of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Jen Budney, is a fourth generation Ukrainian-Canadian, with her grandparents coming over from the Ternopil region in the early 1900s. She’s the first generation in her family to speak English as her mother tongue.
Since the war started, she’s connected with distant cousins in the Lviv area. They’re a family of violin makers.
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“Like all Ukrainians, they go to work every day, they make their violins, they go to concerts, they train children, they perform with orchestras, but they haven’t slept properly in four years,” Budney said.
That’s because nearly every night, air raid sirens wake them up. Although there are instances where they sleep through them, according to Budney, that’s “because they’ve become so habituated to it.”
Her cousin has described it as living in a permanent state of PTSD.
“Not just him, but all citizens in Ukraine right now, all people living in Ukraine right now, are suffering from some degree of PTSD and they are all sleep deprived,” Budney said.
That doesn’t mean, though, that Ukrainians have lost their determination to fight against Russia.
“There’s no weakening of resolve,” Budney said.
According to Jen Budney, executive director and CEO of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada in Saskatoon, the way to continue helping Ukraine is by raising awareness and pushing allied countries to provide money and arms for its defence. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)
Consequences of losing
For Budney, it’s been an intense four years. But, she said Canadians continue to be “extremely supportive of Ukraine,” while maintaining a distrust towards Russia.
That work, according to Budney, is in part thanks to Ukrainian communities in the country who’ve raised awareness.
She said the museum educates people on the long history of Russian imperialism, explaining why Ukraine can’t compromise or give up territory in this war.
“There’s no compromising possible with Russia. Russia will continue to take everything it can get, and more,” Budney said.
The stakes of giving in are too high, she said.
“It affects all of Europe. It affects the entire world. Should Russia be not be defeated in this, things will be very dire for Europe.”
Though losing isn’t an option, she has a difficult time picturing reality once the war ends.
“It’s strange, but it’s hard to imagine it can go on much longer. But, it’s also hard to imagine how it’s going to end with the United States being as it is right now,” Budney said.
Even if visualizing the end is difficult though, especially after four years, for Budney people need to maintain the hope.
“If Ukrainians can do it, given what they’re facing with no power through this horrible winter, no heat, no electricity to cook their food, no lighting in their classrooms, surely we can keep up the energy in Canada,” Budney said.
