Hundreds rally in Winnipeg marking 3rd anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

February 23, 2025 Canuck

Members of Manitoba’s Ukrainian community commemorated the three-year anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion at a rally that drew hundreds to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Sunday.

Shoulder to shoulder the crowd filled a room within the museum. Some draped their backs in blue and yellow displaying Ukraine’s flag, while others held signs calling for the end of the war, Europe’s deadliest and largest conflict since World War II.

Vasyl Kushlyk and his wife, Olha Hladka, held their loved ones still in Ukraine close to their hearts at Sunday’s rally.

“They have a notification about drones or rockets every day … I just worry about them … it is really scary,” Kushlyk said.

Many of his friends have already died during the war, he said. Some others continue to serve in the military, and he fears one day, he might never get a call back from them.

“I wanna just see them and just say thank you for everything,” Kushlyk said. “I’m very proud of them.”

A man holds a picture of the face of a man, while holding a flag with another man. — Betro Lukin wears Ukraine’s military uniform while holding a picture of his son who died while serving the army. (Gavin Axelrod/CBC)

At the rally, Betro Lukin wore Ukraine’s military uniform and held a picture of his older son. They served together in the army until his son died.

“My father said history is repeating itself,” Kiril Lukin, Betro’s son said, translating for his father who spoke in Ukrainian with CBC. “During World War II, before it started, Nazi Germany acquired some land, and other countries didn’t do a lot about it.”

They are hoping the international community will continue to unite and help Ukraine.

Premier Wab Kinew addressed the crowd at the rally, saying Manitoba will always stand with Ukraine and for it being its own free and independent nation, just like Canada.

group of people gathered a close space, holding signs and Ukrainian yellow and blue flags. — Winnipeg’s rally is one of many being held across Canada, taking over city halls, museums and community centres this weekend in a display of solidarity with Ukraine. (Gavin Axelrod/CBC)

“The support, the solidarity, the fraternity and sorority that Manitoba feels for Ukraine. It’s not just words,” he said.

The premier hailed Austin Lathlin-Bercier, an Opaskwayak Cree Nation man who died after fighting alongside the Ukrainian army, alongside a Manitoba Legislative Building security guard , who the premier said spent one year fighting against Russia.

“Manitobans, in a very real way, have given our blood, our sweat and our tears to support Ukraine’s war effort.”

He said the province will also move ahead with a partnership to help rebuild energy and food supplies in Ukraine.

“This fight for freedom and democracy and human rights is one in which we all must be united together around the world,” the premier said. “We are here to say that we are with you in this struggle.”

The head of the Manitoba branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress says Ukraine needs Canada’s support now more than ever.

Ukrainian Canadian Congress Manitoba Provincial Council president Joanne Lewandosky said Sunday morning that while she’s grateful for how Canada has stood with Ukrainians, as Russia intensifies its attacks and support from the U.S. falters, there’s always room for more to be done, including the purchase of more ammunition.

“We owe it to those who fought for us … we owe it to those who are still defending Ukraine, and we owe it to our future generations too that we stood with them when it mattered,” she said ahead of Sunday’s rally.

Multiple cities across Canada are also holding similar events at city halls, museums and community centres this weekend.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, in a major escalation of a conflict that began in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian lives have been lost while the country has been besieged and upended.

Since the invasion, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled to Canada as refugees. As of last April, nearly 300,000 Ukrainians arrived in Canada through the federal government’s emergency travel program CUAET.

‘Let their sacrifices be springs of hope’

Before a service Sunday morning at the Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Cathedral, Andriy Rabiy, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg, said Sunday and Monday would be days of mourning of the “tremendous loss of life.”

“Many of the people who come to pray here they actually do have relatives, immediate family, extended family, friends, schoolmates that are fighting and unfortunately, they [gave] up their life defending the country,” he said.

A bishop wearing a bright yellow garment stands in front of a wall showing photos of relatives of the congregation who have died since the war in Ukraine began. — Andriy Rabiy, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg, said his message to Ukrainians on Sunday is to remain hopeful and commemorate those who have died during the war. (Gavin Axelrod/CBC)

Rabiy also said his message to community members Sunday would be to “keep our hopes up” and remember the lives lost, so their sacrifices for Ukraine aren’t in vain.

“Let their sacrifices be springs of hope for us, whether it be individually, also a country, or the entire Ukrainian community, and for the entire world for that matter,” he said.

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