As the war in Ukraine rages on, many people all over the world continue to do what they can to help support the war-torn country.
But there are fears support has waned substantially since the start of the Russian-led invasion.
“I suppose it’s psychological,” said Denys Storozhuk, president of Kelowna Stand With Ukraine. “It’s psychological. People get used to that.”
Kelowna Stands With Ukraine was formed earlier in the year when the war broke out.
The not-for-profit organization has held many rallies and fundraising events since its inception, initially drawing large crowds.
“What we see with every rally, every event we do… we have less and less people attending,” Storozhuk told Global News.
This past weekend, Kelowna held a running fundraiser to collect money for winter boots for soldiers in Ukraine, but fewer than a dozen people showed up.
“It’s very sad and very disappointing”,” said Storozhuk.
Storozhuk blames the complacency on the digital world and people not watching television as much to get their news.
“They check the websites they want, they check YouTube videos, ” he said. “And if it’s not there, it’s not getting to their attention, and they just forget or ignore it.”
Stefania Miroshnychenko fled Ukraine with her mom back in May and left behind her father, uncle and boyfriend.
“I’m just thinking about them all the time,” she told Global News.
She’s disheartened that the war, for many, doesn’t seem at the forefront any longer.
She said just last week, her boyfriend shot a video from his balcony in Kyiv of Russian rockets hitting a nearby power plant, which caused a widespread blackout.
“It’s more terrifying now because now citizens of Kyiv can see these rockets above their heads and they can see explosions everywhere in the city,” Miroshnychenko said. “So now it’s even more scary for people.”
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Storozhuk said he hopes more people turn out at upcoming events to support Ukraine but he also added that there are many ways to continue to show support for Ukraine, including coming out to meeting to help brainstorm on ways to help the country from this side of the world.
“Just your time. You know, everybody has a little bit of time,” Storozhuk said.
He also believes the federal government should be contributing more of its military budget to help bring the war to an end.
“I check every day how much money they spend and there is big announcement from the government…oh we’re going to commit another $10 million for the war in Ukraine, $10 million in one hour. More than $10 million of infrastructure is destroyed in Ukraine.”
Storozhuk said that Kelowna Stands With Ukraine plans on launching a petition to encourage the federal government to increase its support for Ukraine.
Miroshnychenko agreed, saying more help could make a big difference.
“Our military is super motivated,” she said. “We just need weapons and defence systems and we can finish this work sooner if we have all that we need.”
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