Ukrainian-Winnipeggers finding solace in community, prayer

Winnipeg's Ukrainian community is banding together, with Rev. Ihor Shved of Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral hoping to help support parishioners who fear for loved ones.

One Ukrainian-Canadian mother in Winnipeg is finding comfort in prayer days after Russia launched an invasion into Ukraine.

Olga Mala is struggling to stay at home these days — shaken with worry over family and friends caught in the middle of the war.

The mother, who emigrated from the Kyiv area to Winnipeg two years ago, told Global News spending time at Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral is giving her some solace.

“This is what we can do for this first period,” Mala said. “We’re trying to pray non-stop.”

“For two days, we feel total anxiety … We still cannot believe that this is real in the 21st century.”

Mala’s immediate and extended family living in the Kyiv region are facing nearby explosions, Mala said. Friday morning, something struck her aunt’s house that left a gaping hole in the roof, forcing her to seek shelter with Mala’s mother, she said.

Mala’s friends living in western Ukraine are inviting families from eastern regions into their home, Mala said.

Winnipeg’s Ukrainian community is also banding together, with Rev. Ihor Shved of Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral telling Global News he hopes he can help support parishioners, many of whom are young people with parents, brothers, sisters and cousins still in Ukraine.