Russian families divided over attack on Ukraine, some misled by state media

CTV National News: Protests from Russian expats Russian expats gathered in Poland over the weekend to protest the attack on Ukraine. Lisa LaFlamme reports.

When there is conflict between nations, there are divisions within families, something that has become glaringly apparent in Russia's attack against Ukraine.

The two countries have huge cultural ties, and many people in both countries speak both Ukrainian and Russian, or have family members on either side of the border.

This weekend, a group of Russian ex-pats gathered in the old square of Krakow, Poland to protest against the war.

A young woman at the rally told CTV National News’ Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor Lisa LaFlamme that to her, patriotism does not mean agreeing with the government’s actions.

“For me it’s about love to my country, not to my government,” Valaria said.

She called the war “disgusting.”

“It’s a crime, it’s a crime against Ukrainians, a crime against Russian people,” she said. “My people, my family, my friends, my relatives, my country.”

Her own family, she says, support Putin’s actions, believing the false story from the Russian state that casts Ukraine as the aggressor of the conflict and Russia as the hero.

Valaria has tried to explain to her family what is actually occurring, and why she opposes Russia’s invasion, but it has been hard to get through.

The bombing of Kharkiv, a city her mother knew and loved, was the final straw.

On Tuesday morning, Russian military struck the centre of Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing at least six people.

“I write her that: ‘Mom, you know, Russia bombed Kharkiv,’ and she answers me that ‘Our media says it’s Ukraine forces,’” Valaria said.

“Her position just broke my heart. I decided, no, I cannot bear it. It’s like you’re on the one side and it’s a great wall between your family.”

At the protest against Russia’s actions, protesters chanted, “A big man, a bad man,” in Russian.

Several members of the crowd carried a blue and white striped flag, a symbolic version of the Russian flag, which normally has a red stripe on the bottom.

The protesters said Putin had destroyed their flag, so they changed it by rubbing out the red.

“We decided we can just take our Russian flag and just wash it from all this blood and just have this blue-white flag,” Valaria said.

For Valaria, visiting Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine -- which has been under attack for more than a week -- was as common as a Canadian visiting Florida.

“It’s green, it’s beautiful,” she said. When she tried to continue to describe the city, she began to cry, and had to turn away.

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