Hundreds gather at rally in support of Ukraine on night of solemn war anniversary

A sea of blue and yellow swarmed the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Friday night as part of a solidarity rally in support of Ukraine.

Hundreds braved the cold Friday night to show support for the country, one year after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

The crowd included newcomer Leis Odibat from Kharkiv, who moved to Winnipeg four months ago.

“It’s very important to show how we Ukrainians suffer from the war,” Odibat said. “We moved to another country 10,000 kilometres (away). We hope that the war will stop and we can go home.”

The one-hour rally included a singing of the Ukrainian national anthem, along with other songs, as well as a moment of silence.

One of the rally’s organizers, Teresa Wawrykow, says the rendition of the anthem was extra special, and the words hit harder.

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“They hold such a newfound meaning now given the current situation, ” Wawrykow said. “And so it’s actually pretty hard to get through singing it when you think about what the words mean without, you know, starting to cry.”

Nick Krawetz with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress still remembers the horror and shock he felt on this day one year ago.

“This last 365 days has been, I don’t even know how to explain it to be honest, courage, resilience, bravery on one hand, but also on the other, the senseless killing of Ukrainians,” Krawetz said.

A vigil and march was also planned in Manitoba’s second-largest city at Brandon University,

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress estimates a total of 14,000 to 15,000 Ukrainians fleeing war have arrived in Manitoba over the past year.