Ukrainian-Canadians 'infuriated' with latest developments in crisis

Ukrainian-Canadians are furious with the latest developments along the border between Ukraine and Russia, according to two community leaders.

Late Monday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing two pro-Russian breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities and signed decrees ordering troops into these regions for “peacekeeping” missions.

The move has been described as the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and prompted swift condemnation internationally.

“Everyone  -- quite honestly -- is livid, that among all of the talk and diplomatic effort and talk of sanctions, that Putin went ahead and not only recognized two small enclaves … but also that he is now sending troops in there,” Marc Shwec, chair Stand with Ukraine Committee, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Yuri S. Broda, president of the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada, agreed with Schwec that Ukrainians in Canada are angry with Russia and the Putin regime.

“[Ukrainian-Canadians are] infuriated,” he told CTV News Channel. “They can’t see how this can happen in the 21st century, by violating all these international norms of the liberal western order, using force to change borders in Europe. It’s shocking.”

“The only risk [Ukraine poses] to Russia and the Putin regime is a political one, because having a Westernized, liberal, democratic society right next door puts at risk his entire power structure.”

Canada has the third-highest Ukrainian population in the world, behind only Ukraine and Russia. Shwec said people are the current situation has left many Ukrainian-Canadians gravely concerned for their loved ones.

“Everyone's got family members back in Ukraine,” he said.

“Communication is fluid. There's people calling every day. There's people who Skype with their families daily.”

Dmytro Malyk, vice president of the Manitoba chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, told CTV News Winnipeg that his 58-year-old aunt has been called into the army as a doctor and that his mother has been advised to stock up on medicine and other supplies in advance of a possible invasion. 

“I’m very anxious,” he said. “I’m very concerned about my parents, my relatives, but also about Ukraine as a whole, because I have lots of friends living in different parts of Ukraine.”

Malyk said he watched Putin’s entire speech on Monday and was “appalled” at the amount of misinformation.

“I personally made myself watch the whole speech by Putin. That was very painful,” he said. “That was hurtful, but I had to do it, because I had to know how my relatives, how my parents are feeling at that moment in Ukraine.”

In response to this latest development, the United States, for one, has ordered heavy sanctions against Russian banks and oligarchs. The United Kingdom has also sanctioned five Russian banks.

The European Union, meanwhile, has ordered an initial set of sanctions against Russia, while Germany has halted the certification process of a pipeline from Russia.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada’s “first round” of sanctions against Russia, which include banning Canadians from any financial dealings with the two regions Putin had acknowledged as independent and to send 460 troops to Latvia.

Broda said the response among Western leaders has been “disappointing” to date.

“They’ve been slow on the uptake, waiting for Putin to make that first move, as opposed to taking that firm stance coming out ahead of it,” he said.

The Stand with Ukraine Committee held a rally on Tuesday evening in Toronto with speakers from other community groups to show support for the people of Ukraine and to call for further sanctions against Russia.

“We need that push back right now,” Shwec said.

With files from CTVNews.ca Writers Christy Somos and Sarah Turnbull, as well as The Associated Press and CTV News Winnipeg