It has been nearly three months since Russian President Vladimir Putin began his bloody war on Ukraine, and on Wednesday evening members of the Ukrainian-Canadian community in Hamilton will come together to show their support for the victims of war, to show they have not been forgotten.
The vigil, organized collaboratively by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Hamilton Jewish Federation and the Canadian Polish Congress, will begin at 7 p.m.
Mary Holadyk is the vice president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Hamilton and says both groups wanted to come together and show support for the many Ukrainians in the city.
“We have a lot of Ukrainians in Hamilton with family still who are there,” says Holadyk, who also has family in Ukraine, “some of whom have been displaced and are now in Poland.”
Holadyk also says it’s important to keep the war in Ukraine top of mind and acknowledge the atrocities being committed by Putin.
“An occupier is there, bombing the living daylights out of every city and killing,” Holadyk says, “this has to be kept in the forefront.”
There will be several key speakers at the vigil along with newcomers that have just fled the war.
Organizers are asking participants to bring battery-operated candles to the event if possible.