How this Toronto woman's trip home to Ukraine turned into an evacuation mission
CBC
When Anastasiia Parfonova boarded a plane in Toronto on Feb. 23, she didn't expect she'd soon be making plans to help some of her family flee the country they'd always called home.
It was supposed to be a trip home for her to get treatment for a knee injury and to visit relatives. That night, Russian President Vladimir Putin commenced what he called a special military operation in Ukraine — an operation that is now a full-on invasion.
"When everything started, I was literally waiting for my plane to take off," said the 25-year old, who was in disbelief over the violence. She learned she wouldn't be able to continue with her connection in Warsaw to Odessa.
"So, I had an option to cancel my flight and go back to my house in Toronto or go to Ukraine. So, I picked the second option."
Parfonova spent a few days in Krakow before finally making it to her family in Odessa.
"I didn't tell them, I just bought a ticket … I got to the train station. I called them and I was like, 'OK, mom, I'm going to be in Ukraine tomorrow morning, so just be ready,'" said Parfonova.
Russia has widened its military offensive in Ukraine, striking near airports in the west of the country for the first time as troops kept up pressure on the capital, Kyiv. New satellite photos, meanwhile, appeared to show a massive convoy outside the Ukrainian capital had fanned out into nearby towns and forests. The photos emerged amid more international efforts to isolate and sanction Russia.
Parfonova managed to get her mother and teenage sister out of Odessa to Bucharest where they remain. Like many Ukrainians who have fled the country, they are in limbo, unsure of what the future holds. Parfonova is a permanent resident in Canada — meaning she can return to Toronto — but she's waiting on more information about how she could get expedited visas for her family.
Those in the local Ukrainian community in Canada say they've been flooded with requests and offers to help refugees, but are also awaiting more details from the federal government on how they can help Ukrainians come to Canada.
Parfonova's plane landed in Warsaw, then she travelled to Krakow where she stayed with friends and volunteered helping refugees.
A week later, she was able to get to Odessa by train, saying she was one of maybe five people onboard.
"I didn't care what was going to happen next, if I'm safe or not safe … I just wanted to see them to make sure [my family] was all right," she said.
Parfonova convinced her mother — who was reluctant to leave — to get out of the country with her 15-year-old sister.
Parfonova described her 80-year-old grandmother as a child of war, who lived through World War II, and has no desire to leave Odessa. Since her father is under 60, he must stay in the country to fight as needed.
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