Montreal Ukrainians hope for more support, 3 years after Russian invasion
CBC
Three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many Ukrainians living in Montreal continue to seek peace for their homeland and are calling for increased support from Canada, their host country.
Yuliia Franivska arrived in Montreal in 2022, the same year the war broke out.
On Sunday, she attended a demonstration to show solidarity with her people, including her parents who remain in Ukraine.
Franivska's father, a former military officer, had to put his uniform back on and step up to help his country. Drawing from his experience, he now trains young soldiers to fight.
"My heart is broken and I cannot cry anymore," said Franivska. "It's very difficult to live and everyone, you don't know what will happen [to them]."
While she longs to return and contribute to her country's protection, the single mother feels a responsibility to stay in Canada.
"I'm here just for my son," she said.
Franivska believes Canada is already doing a lot to support her community.
"We are very thankful for Canada to let us to be here to save our lives, [the] lives of our children."
But Maria Popova, associate professor of political science at McGill University, believes Canada should do more.
"We've been supportive in spirit. We have also contributed, but in terms of contributions to the military aid to Ukraine, we're sort of bottom of the list of allies," she said. "Because we thought of the U.S. as a friendly ally guaranteeing our security, we haven't been investing in our own defence."
In recent weeks, Popova's noticed a shift in the political landscape, particularly following President Donald Trump's controversial statements about Russia and Ukraine — in which he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" and blamed Ukraine for initiating the war.
Popova says the U.S. has emerged as an adversary not just to Ukraine but to Europe and Canada.
"That's why Canada needs to step up, both for Ukraine's sake, but also for our own sake, because we are entering really dangerous times here," she said.
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