Ukrainians in Sudbury mark grim war anniversary

Four years since Russia’s invasion, Ukrainians in Sudbury on emergency visas face uncertainty. Torn between longing for home and building a life in Canada.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began four years ago, Iryna Letrina and her family made the heartbreaking decision to move to Canada.

“We left Ukraine in the months after the war started because my daughter was very afraid,” said Letrina, who now lives in Sudbury.

“She was crying a lot, and my son -- so yeah, the kids (were) the primary reason.”

Tetyania Yurynets has lived in Canada for three years, remaining in Ukraine for the first year after the Russians invaded. Yurynets decided to take a risk and visit her family back home in September. Things have gotten much worse since she left.

“We had the shelling at 3 (a.m.). My mom ... who is 75 years old, was applying lipstick, like, applying makeup in the middle of the night,” she said.

“And I ask her why, and she said, like, ‘Oh, if you are going to die tonight, I need to be beautiful.’”

Yurynet, who also now lives in Sudbury, said when they left in 2023, there was shelling to endure, but it meant “that you can predict when it can happen and you need to be just in (a) bomb shelter.”

But when she returned, crossing into Ukraine from the Polish border in September, “(there) was a very severe drone attack,” she said.

“With (a) drone attack, you feel the explosion just next to your windows. So it’s somewhere in the middle of the night, and the explosions (are) happening just like randomly, because it could be 20, 40 drones just in the district.”

Letrina said her family is safe in Canada, but there is still fear because they are vividly aware of what is going on in their home -- and to their friends and family who stayed.

“With our souls, we are in Ukraine, you know,” she said.

“You remember everything. We know what is happening and it’s hard. Honestly, it’s very hard.”

People like her who fled the war know that when they go back, their country will be devastated.

“It’s really bad,” Letrina said.

“A lot of people who are here, even in Sudbury, they lose their homes. Their homes do not exist anymore, like everything was destroyed.”

Yurynets said she hopes Canadians know how lucky they are to live in peace.

“They wake every day … and they don’t need to check on their relatives. Were they alive or not? So this is a great happiness,” she said.

“All of your nearest and dearest are safe. Your kids are going to school, and they are not supposed to sit in bomb shelters. So just like, feel this moment and be grateful for the life you have.”

While safe from war, Yurynets said Ukrainians are here on special visas, which means they are not permanent residents. That leaves them feeling stuck between two worlds.

“We can’t apply for … a mortgage, our kids can’t go to college to study because they will be considered international students, so you need to pay five times more (for tuition),” she said.

Caught between two worlds

“There are a lot of things -- you can’t call Canada your home because you do not have legal grounds for this.”

Latrina said many people are having a hard time figuring out whether to apply for Canadian citizenship or go back to Ukraine when it’s safe.

“People are struggling and they want to know, they want to be sure about their future,” she said.

“They want to be safe and know that, OK, I have this opportunity to stay here legally for a longer period of time, or have to return to Ukraine.”

Language is also a hurdle for many Ukrainians hoping to apply for permanent residency.

That’s why Yurynets is hoping to relaunch English programs to help build confidence in the language and meet Canada’s official language requirement.