Ford calls Putin a 'thug' as Ontario leaders denounce Russian invasion of Ukraine
CBC
With violence rocking Ukraine after Russian invasion by land, sea and air, Ontario politicians condemned Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's attack during a session in Queen's Park Thursday.
Premier Doug Ford said certain dates will be "forever etched" in our memories, and this is one of them. He called Putin a "thug" carrying out a violent attack on a sovereign nation.
He also said the bonds between Canada and Ukraine run deep, and praised Ukrainians for their resilience.
"The blue and yellow must be the last colours the invaders see," Ford said.
Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath similarly denounced Russia's attack, and said Ukrainian-Canadians played a vital role in building this country.
"We will always reject the path of aggression ... the path threatening world peace," Horwath said.
Explosions could be heard before dawn in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Gunfire rattled, sirens blared across the city and the highway out became choked with traffic as residents tried to flee.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin's aim was to destroy his state.
"Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself and won't give up its freedom, no matter what Moscow thinks," Zelensky said on Twitter.
Calling on Ukrainians to defend their country, he said arms would be given to anyone prepared to fight. He also urged Russians to take to the streets to protest against their government's actions.
Mychailo Wynnyckyj, a sociology professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy originally from Kitchener, Ont., spoke with CBC Radio's Metro Morning Thursday as he and his family were packing up to leave their home in Kyiv.
The streets of the Ukrainian capital were teeming with people not long ago, he said, as people fled the city.
"In addition to having rocket attacks, this morning we've had our first view of paratroopers coming in the outskirts of Kyiv, and the tanks that are moving in from the north," Wynnyckyj said. "Although they are being pushed back by the Ukrainian army, there is a column that is moving towards Kyiv, and we're getting a little nervous about that."
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