A Ukrainian citizen currently staying in Vancouver says he knows in his heart he needs to return home and fight for his country.
Oleh Hlyniailiuk came to B.C. last November to visit a friend and explore the province.
But his world was shattered after hearing about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The feeling was shocking, awful,” he said. “I just called my girlfriend and she told me she woke up at 4 a.m. from an explosion. I told her to pack her stuff and then drive from Odesa to our hometown in the west of Ukraine.”
He said it was so stressful because there were bombings, roads closed and gas stations running out of fuel.
“The first day I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, I was just checking information all the time,” Hlyniailiuk said.
“And then the second day it felt like someone put a knife in my heart and it was so hard to watch from here. My friends, my family is there. My roommate is defending Kyiv right now.”
He said none of his friends have military experience but they are all taking up arms to defend Ukraine.
Hlyniailiuk is now travelling back to his home country to help fight.
“First of all I will go to my hometown and meet with my friends to coordinate the supplies to send to the frontier,” he said.
“When I am called to serve my country I will do this, of course.”
The Russian invasion has already driven more than a half-million refugees into neighbouring countries like Poland, but a steady stream of Ukrainians are also heading home.
“We would like the ask the world to support us,” Hlyniailiuk said, whether that is humanitarian help, financial help, or placing pressure on elected officials.
“This can happen to anyone,” he said. “No one has a guaranteed security right now.”
He said his family urged him not to go home but they know he feels like he needs to fight for his country.
“We need bigger help and more help from the world society and the world democracy in order to win and defeat Russian aggression,” Hlyniailiuk added.