Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article Sambir emerged as an important trade and manufacturing centre while under Polish rule (1387–1772) Under Austrian rule (1772–1918) it served as a minor county seat Its economy improved when it became a railway junction before World War I Sambir’s industries have produced such goods as food The city also features several educational institutions as well as a number of architectural monuments and museums Please email comments to [email protected] I first started traveling to Ukraine in the early 2000s it was mainly because of my heritage: my mother is Ukrainian and I have a large extended family there But I kept returning as I realized Ukraine was a fascinating country in its own right It was a place where big questions were being worked through: How do you build a country amid the ashes of an empire Should you stay in your homeland even when it means struggling for basics How much are you willing to fight for representation Ukrainians have been devoting themselves to answering these questions throughout the past three decades of independence and in an especially heightened form since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 with the Western press depicting Ukraine as a place of suffering and resilience they miss much of the essence of the country containing mountains and seaside and steppe and Secession architecture mingle in its cities The pages that follow contain images taken from my travels in recent years They aim to capture something of Ukraine’s singularity Right: Light floods into a gallery of the Bukhanchuk Museum of Fine Arts in Kmytiv a village about thirteen miles from Zhytomyr The museum houses one of the nation’s largest collections of Soviet art people gather bouquets of fallen leaves to enjoy the vivid colors of the season at home a Russian missile landed close to this park in central Kyiv leaving a large crater that was quickly patched up right: Even though few Ukrainians live off their farms alone agriculture continues to play a large role in rural life with friends and relatives pitching in to help seed each other’s fields every spring Right: Trees bloom near an entrance to Stryiskyi Park in Lviv This bountiful scene brought to mind the lines of a poem by Adam Zagajewski who was born in the city in 1945 and knew it as Polish Lvov: “There was too much of Lvov it brimmed the container / it burst glasses / slept on a sofa beside the Carpathian rug.” Below: Sisters Polina and Nastia pose at a relative’s home in western Ukraine the girls fled their native village with their family after Russia launched its full-scale invasion Their home was destroyed in subsequent fighting Megan Buskey has written about Ukrainian history and politics for a variety of publications She is the author of Ukraine Is Not Dead Yet: A Family History of Exile and Return (ibidem LET’S READ SUARA SARAWAK/ NEW SARAWAK TRIBUNE E-PAPER FOR FREE AS ​​EARLY AS 2 AM EVERY DAY. CLICK LINK ASAJAYA: Football players are encouraged to embrace resilience and continue striving for improvement regardless of the outcome on the upcoming matches patron of the Sambir Bistari Football Club (KBSB) shared these motivational words with both the players and the local community in attendance there will always be a winning team and a losing team but that you are given the opportunity to assess and improve for future matches,” he said Abdullah made these remarks while officiating the 57th Asajaya Unity Cup at the Kampung Sambir Football Field in Asajaya on Wednesday (April 2) “I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all parties involved especially the Sambir Bistari Football Club (KBSB) and the committee members,” Abdullah added not only provides a platform for players to showcase their skills but also serves as a symbol of unity bringing together players from all walks of life Abdullah expressed his thanks to everyone who contributed to the successful organisation of the tournament he witnessed a thrilling match between ABF FC and Akademi Tambirat A where ABF FC emerged victorious with a 1-0 win the prestigious tournament features over 50 senior team and 12 veteran teams – with a total cash prize of RM11,000 for the top three winning team Sarawak Tribune is a Sarawakian news portal that highlights Sarawak-centric news and other stories of relevance to Sarawak.Today Sarawak Tribune focuses on happenings in Sarawak’s cities towns and small places no matter how remote these are and events of relevance in other states of Malaysia and other countries Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to mass displacement within and outside the country as millions of Ukrainians left in search of safety and support Anastasiia Pyrohova is a psychologist and the coordinator of the Women’s New Horizons project run by the local group Women’s Perspectives in the Western city of Sambir where she has lived since fleeing her native Zaporizhzhia with her family Anastasiia supports women and girls by providing psychological counselling and creating resources to help internally displaced people access essential services my family and I were fleeing from active hostilities We did not have a clearly defined route and just wanted to get as far away as possible We passed through several cities including Kropyvnytskyi I did not want to leave Ukraine since I wanted to help the people here Although I had never heard of Sambir before When I registered as an internally displaced person I came across an advertisement for psychological assistance I offered my help and was accepted into the community of psychologists in Sambir I was pleasantly surprised to find a creative environment of local volunteers They supported me and allowed me to help others in need I have been helping women to overcome their problems I met the organization Women's Perspectives I realized that I had finally found the people I was looking for They are active women who provide support to those in need including those who have experienced violence I took on the role of coordinator for a project in Sambir community where we conducted a needs assessment to determine needs and priorities of internally displaced people and to understand whether they are interested in joining our efforts we created an initiative group of internally displaced women including psychological and psychotherapeutic groups Working in collaboration with the city council we also established a reception office for internally displaced families It can be quite challenging to find yourself in an unfamiliar place especially when you do not know where to seek help or whom to turn to I conducted meetings to disseminate essential information to internally displaced people and created a roadmap for them The road map includes detailed instructions on where internally displaced people can receive legal and psychological assistance in Sambir community as well as information regarding all medical facilities I focus on first helping people balance their emotional stability and then helping them gain the strength to grow and take charge of their lives This article is prepared within the framework of UN Women’s project “Transformative approaches to achieving gender equality in Ukraine” with financial support from Sweden and in cooperation with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Copyright © UN Women own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment University of Toronto provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA University of Toronto provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA-FR View all partners They both spent their childhoods as refugees They lived among displaced Ukrainians who fled to Austria and Germany as the Red Army advanced in July 1944 My grandparents’ decision to abandon their homes and leave everything behind saved my parents from the tyranny of Soviet occupation They were some of the 200,000 Ukrainians who chose to live in exile rather than be repatriated to the Soviet Union. They organized themselves around civic, education, cultural and political interests pamphlets and books to connect themselves with one another and to inform the world about the country’s history This publishing effort was in addition to work done by Ukrainians who immigrated for economic reasons to North America beginning in the 1890s, and those who lived abroad for political reasons during the revolutionary era in the early 1920s I am the custodian of these publications in my role as a librarian developing, making accessible and researching Ukrainian — and other Slavic-language collections at the University of Toronto Libraries Our library’s Ukrainian holdings — whether they were published in Ukraine under Austrian, Polish or Russian rule, in independence, or in refugee centres and diaspora communities — offer a perspective on Ukraine’s distinct history that sets it apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s belief that Ukraine was “entirely created by Russia.” Librarians and libraries across the world play a role in preserving and sharing Ukraine’s cultural history They acquire western observations about Ukraine or material printed on its territories And people can learn a lot from these resources French architect and military engineer, Guillaume le Vasseur de Beauplan’s map, Carte d’Ukranie first represented the country as a discrete territory with delineated borders in 1660 It was commissioned by King Ladislaus IV of Poland to help him better understand the land and its people to protect the territory from enemies (particularly Russia) In Histoire de Charles XII (1731), Voltaire similarly describes and textually maps Ukraine as the country of the Cossacks He said: “Ukraine has always wanted to be free.” “to remain forever irremovable from the church.” However this monastery was destroyed on Stalin’s orders in the mid-1930s and volumes from the library were sold by the Soviet government Among the close to 1,000 books and pamphlets that were published by Ukrainian people displaced after the Second World War, is a children’s story I remember reading from my youth, housed at the University of Toronto. The book, Bim-bom, dzelenʹ-bom! (1949) tells the story of how a group of chickens and cats help put out a house fire A passage from the book can be applied to Russia’s war against Ukraine: and cats and kittens know how to work together to save their home and how in every danger to defend your native home!” The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine says Russian military police are destroying Ukrainian literature and history textbooks — Russian forces have also bombed archives, libraries and museums They have destroyed the archives of the Security Service in Chernihiv which documented Soviet repression of Ukrainians, they also damaged the Korolenko State Scientific Library in Kharkiv Ukraine’s second largest library collection Archival staff in Ukraine work day and night to scan paper documents and move digitized content to servers abroad Librarians and volunteers also pack and make plans to evacuate books Maintaining and preserving online archives or digital objects during wartime is difficult. They are as precarious as print material because they rely on infrastructure in the physical world Computer equipment attached to cables and servers needs power to work Power outages or downed servers can mean temporary or permanent loss of data Over 1,000 volunteers, in partnership with universities in Canada and the United States, are participating in the crowd-sourced project called Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) to preserve and secure digitized manuscripts, music, photographs, 3D architectural models and other publications. So far, the team has captured 15,000 files, which are accessible via the Internet Archive preserved and shared knowledge held by their own institutions over the past century they are now sharing this knowledge globally so that when the war is over Ukraine can see its cultural treasures rescued and restored KUCHING: The 57th Asajaya Unity Cup is set to return with exhilarating action that will leave fans on the edge of their seats As the oldest football tournament in Sarawak hosted by the Sambir Bistari Football Club (KBSB) will kick off on the third day of Aidilfitri at the Kampung Sambir football field in Asajaya the competition will see 50 teams battling it out in the senior category alongside 12 invited teams in the veteran category The total prize pool for the winners of the top three positions amounts to RM11,000 it has become a tradition to elevate the Aidilfitri festivities in Kampung Sambir with the staging of this tournament,” said KBSB patron Datuk Abdullah Julaihi “It is always a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talent of teams from Samarahan Kuching and the surrounding areas,” he added during a press conference on Thursday A sponsorship event was completed by Raymond Sim Hee Pang managing director of Lea Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd The winning team in the senior category gets RM5,000 in cash jerseys and a RM1,500 voucher from Lea Sports Centre (LSC) The two semi-finalists will each receive RM1,500 in cash the winning team in the veteran category will receive RM1,000 in cash while the third-place teams that exit in the semi-finals will each receive RM500 in cash Abdullah also took the opportunity to express his gratitude to LSC for their unwavering support “This tournament presents a brilliant opportunity to strengthen bonds within the community “I would like to thank Raymond Sim and his team for their continued contribution to sports That’s according to the Sambir Plast organization "Major Andriy Tkachenko died in the sky over Donetsk region on March 8 while performing a combat mission," the report reads Tkachenko later graduated from the Ivan Kozhedub National Kharkiv Air Force University in 2012 "He served in Ivano-Frankivsk and then in Kharkiv he had been performing combat sorties as part of the Anti-Terrorist Operationa and the Joint Forces Operation After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine the fighter pilot operated in eastern and southern operational zones The Hero is survived by his wife and six-year-old son The funeral ceremony will be held in Ivano-Frankivsk where Andriy Tkachenko had lived with his family While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Olena Tsebenko of Lviv was about to give birth to her first child when the Russian invasion began what happened next would depend on the kindness of many strangers This article was published more than 3 years ago Baby Vira was born in Poland after her parents fled their hometown in the early days of the Russian invasion Vira means 'faith' in Ukrainian but her mother offered a broader translation: 'She's Hope,' she says.Photography by Anna Liminowicz/The Globe and Mail When Russian bombs started falling on Ukraine four weeks ago Olena Tsebenko was nine months pregnant and made a frantic dash to Poland from her home in Lviv She kept the faith that her baby would survive even as she waited for hours at the border crossing with her husband who begged those in front to let them through They’re both 31 and have only been married a couple of years but they’ve known each other since childhood and began going out as teenagers in Sambir They arrived just before the Ukrainian government ordered all adult men to remain in the country they made it to Przemysl and found their way to the Marko Hotel It was serving as a makeshift refuge for Ukrainians in the early days of the war and the owners took in almost every family that showed up sometimes letting them sleep in the lobby for free and the couple had no idea where to find a doctor or who to turn to for permanent shelter As she stood in the doorway of Room 115 two days after arriving in Poland She knew the baby was a girl and she’d already chosen a name thanks to the support of countless strangers – from the owners of the Marko to the doctors and nurses who refused payment for their services to the young couple who offered their home for free – Vira came into the world Tsebenko was still trying to comprehend the family’s journey we will tell her all the stories of how she was born,” she said I want her to know how Polish people are friendly So she should know the kindness of humans.” and now the name held even more significance To believe that everything will be good and to believe that we will come home soon.” Tsebenko's main focus is on returning to Ukraine some day Tsebenko has been organizing humanitarian aid deliveries into Ukraine and spends almost every waking hour at a giant warehouse in Przemysl that has been turned into a depot for donations of food medicine and clothing from all over the world has been going back and forth across the border in his minibus taking humanitarian supplies into Ukraine and bringing refugees to Poland Tsebenko is also grappling with how their life has changed in the past month They’d always dreamed of travelling the world one day and maybe working abroad in Canada or the United States He’s a software engineer with a doctorate in mathematics while she taught math at a centre in Lviv that cared for children from troubled families But now their only focus is returning home to Ukraine Tsebenko said Thursday while taking a forced break from his humanitarian work because of car problems it would be easier to understand what was happening than now.” She too is now part of the humanitarian cause and volunteers at a sprawling refugee shelter in a vacated Tesco supermarket on the outskirts of the city has helped more than 450 employees and their families leave Ukraine and the company is considering opening a new office in western Poland The Tsebenkos are considering moving to wherever the branch is eventually set up Tsebenko is still in touch with her former work colleagues at the centre in Lviv The kids at the centre would usually stay there for a few months while their parents received counselling But it ceased operations after the war began and the building is now being used to house more than 200 children who have fled the fighting in eastern Ukraine Tsebenko hopes she can return to teaching there one day “You feel you are really doing important things.” she’s blissfully unaware of all that has happened and barely caused a stir during a two-hour visit Thursday Her mother has high hopes for her daughter Maybe she’ll be a mathematician like her parents Tsebenko knows one thing for certain: “She will be Ukrainian.” trapped in their hospitals by the Russian assault were spirited to safety in Poland in a complex rescue mission Women and children have made up most of the exodus from Ukraine, and some risk becoming targets of human traffickers. Reporter Janice Dickson spoke with The Decibel from Slovakia about what she saw at the border. Subscribe for more episodes. On their phones, refugees in Slovakia keep mementoes of home Ukrainians and residents in Warsaw, once strangers and now roommates, try to find common ground In Warsaw, Newfoundland and Labrador launches recruitment campaign for Ukrainian refugees Canada's streamlined immigration for Ukrainians creates a racial double standard, opposition says Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Women and children have made up most of the exodus from Ukraine, and some risk becoming targets of human traffickers. Reporter Janice Dickson spoke with The Decibel from Slovakia about what she saw at the border. Subscribe for more episodes. Paul Waldie is The Globe and Mail’s Europe Correspondent Paul has been a reporter and editor for 30 years, taking on everything from the Bre-X gold fraud to the conviction of Conrad Black, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Britain's departure from the European Union and the war in Ukraine numerous Wimbledon championships and spent a season with the Winnipeg Jets when the team made its triumphant return to the city in 2011 As editor of The Globe’s Report on Business section Paul managed the largest financial newsroom in Canada and was responsible for expanding the paper’s business and investment coverage in print and online In 2016, he moved to the UK to cover Britain and Europe. Since February 2022, he has been part of the team of Globe reporters covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He has been to Ukraine several times since the start of the war and his work on the refugee crisis has won accolades in Canada Paul has been a regular presence on television and radio He was a part-time host on Canada’s Business News Network for years and he's a regular contributor to radio outlets in Canada and the UK He’s won four National Newspaper Awards and been nominated for several other honours He also wrote a best-selling book on the McCain family called A House Divided Paul has also worked at the Vancouver Province the Financial Post and the National Post where he was national editor Tony Keller is a columnist with The Globe and Mail He joined The Globe in 1991 as an editorial writer; over a career of more than 30 years he has also served as editor of The Financial Post Magazine managing editor of Maclean’s and a TV news anchor on BNN (now BNN-Bloomberg) He returned to The Globe in 2013 to become the paper's editorials editor and remained in that position until 2022 he’s a graduate of Duke University and Yale Law School and has also been a visiting fellow at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the Wilson Center in Washington D.C He’s been nominated three times for the National Newspaper Award for editorial writing Andrew Willis is a business columnist for the Report on Business Working in business communications and journalism for three decades from 2010 to 2016 he was senior vice-president of communications for Brookfield Asset Management a leading global alternative asset management company which exposed the ways that Canadian police services mishandle sexual assault cases training and practices around sexual violence Doolittle’s other notable projects include the “Power Gap”, an investigation of gender inequities in the workforce, and “Secret Canada,” which examines Canada’s broken freedom of information system She is the author of two books, “Had It Coming – What’s Fair In The Age of #MeToo?,” which was shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize for non-fiction, and “Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story,” both of which were national bestsellers Jameson Berkow is the capital markets reporter for The Globe and Mail to cover the economic implications of cannabis legalization He left in early 2020 to start an entrepreneurship magazine and rejoined The Globe in early 2022 to cover financial regulation and governance for Globe Advisor With more than a decade of experience in financial journalism Jameson was most recently the senior reporter for BNN Bloomberg (formerly the Business News Network) where he led live daily coverage of major business news from the television station’s Toronto headquarters He previously worked as the station’s Western Canada bureau chief based in Calgary where his reporting on pipeline politics and the 2014 oil price crash was nominated for numerous awards.\nHis series of reports from Fort McMurray Alberta in 2015 was a finalist for the RTDNA Dave Rogers Award Jameson was the technology reporter for the Financial Post in Toronto where he created and hosted the FP Tech Desk podcast and authored the weekly Startup Spotlight profile series Jameson got his start in journalism in 2007 as a fact-checker for Toronto Life magazine where his first byline was for a story about two dogs getting married Have you signed up yet for my twice-weekly e-mail newsletter, Carrick on Money? Subscribe here Paul Attfield is a reporter at The Globe and Mail Born in England and raised both there and in France Paul is now a dual citizen of Canada and the United Kingdom He has called Toronto home since moving there from London in 2005 Working in The Globe’s sports department since 2006 Paul started out covering predominantly soccer and rugby he has become more of a general assignment reporter writing about pretty much anything involving a bat Temur Durrani is a national reporter for The Globe and Mail a Globe business podcast about how our failures shape us he was a technology reporter for The Globe’s Report on Business he broke news and wrote extensively about Canadian firms like Shopify turbulence in global cryptocurrency markets A globe-trotting newshound hailing from British Columbia and even the Raptors’ historic run to the NBA final Before joining The Globe in February of 2022 where he reported investigative stories and business features for broadcast and digital audiences he was a staffer at the Winnipeg Free Press A juror since 2021 for the annual Dalton Camp Award which grants young writers with a $10,000 prize for the best essay on the link between media and democracy TV and radio panels to provide news analysis He speaks in six languages fluently or conversationally (guess which ones!) takes his caffeinated beverages very seriously Carrie Tait is a reporter in The Globe and Mail’s Calgary Bureau Her coverage ranges from race relations in her home province of Saskatchewan to the lighthearted topic of skiing cats in Alberta Carrie has reported on the wildfires and floods in Alberta and British Columbia; how Cargill’s meat-processing plant in High River became the site of Canada’s largest single outbreak of COVID-19; and naming trends among Calgary Stampede participants she covered energy for the Globe’s Report on Business and has also reported for the National Post She joined the National Post’s Calgary bureau in 2008 Barry Hertz is the Deputy Arts Editor and Film Editor for The Globe and Mail He previously served as the Executive Producer of Features for the National Post and was a manager and writer at Maclean’s before that Barry’s arts and culture writing has also been featured in several publications, including Reader’s Digest and NOW Magazine. 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For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions There was a bizarre little story last week out of Ukraine which was picked up by Radio-Canada International It centred on Canada’s official participation in the dedication of a monument at a Jewish cemetery in the town of Sambir and at least three uniformed Canadian military personnel took part in the formal ceremony The premise of this event was to promote a reconciliatory path forward for Ukrainians and Jewish people is a very delicate subject given the history of violent anti-Semitism in this region of western Ukraine Subscribe now to access this story and more: Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience 21 memorial dedication in Sambir itself served to clearly illustrate these divisions While the site of the ceremony was on the edge of a Jewish cemetery which also served as a mass grave for some 1,200 Jews slaughtered in 1943 during the Holocaust the monument was not dedicated to those victims it featured a large granite cross and was erected in honour of 17 members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists allegedly executed by the German Gestapo in 1944 the OUN members were Nazi collaborators who were responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews and 100,000 Poles all 6,000 Jewish residents were dead or expelled the eradication of this community went unrecognized and under the initiative of Canadian Jewish philanthropist Jack Gardner a stone monument was erected in Sambir to commemorate these Holocaust victims local Ukrainian nationalists tore down the monument and instead erected three 10-metre-tall wooden crucifixes These three crosses were claimed to honour the 17 executed OUN members which are now immortalized by the new granite monument The exact circumstances surrounding the deaths of these 17 OUN fighters were questioned in the Times of Israel by noted Swedish historian Per Rudling Rudling found the Ukrainian version to be “dubious” because while the OUN had briefly turned against the Germans the OUN was in full collaboration with the Nazis 21 ceremony also featured participation of Ukraine’s chief rabbi which drew stern criticism from prominent Jewish leaders and Holocaust scholars Efram Zuroff of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre told the Times of Israel: “It is incomprehensible how a rabbi would participate in such a ceremony This is clearly a whitewash of the horrible crimes committed against Jews in Sambir and only reinforces the highly problematic tendency in Ukraine to hide Holocaust crimes committed by Ukrainians.” Rabbi Bleich claimed that his participation in the event was a “necessary compromise” that will eventually pave the way to a monument recognizing the Jewish Holocaust victims as well This brings us back to the official participation in such a controversial ceremony by a Canadian diplomat and even more disturbing the use of our soldiers in uniform as symbolic props I’m sure none of the soldiers present that day were aware of the war crimes associated with the OUN Whether or not the 17 executed members of the OUN actually committed crimes against Jews is irrelevant The organization to which they belonged was responsible for horrific crimes against humanity If local Ukrainian nationalists in the town of Sambir wish to revise their history and continue to exhibit blatant acts of anti-Semitism It certainly should not be granted the appearance of official sanction by having Canadian soldiers commemorate those who collaborated with Hitler’s Nazis in perpetrating the Holocaust there were more than 40,000 Ukrainian Canadians who proudly wore the Canadian uniform and bravely fought to defeat the Nazis They are the ones who deserve official Canadian commemoration We tried it: Filtrete Smart Tower and the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 Top picks for what to watch this month in Canada transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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Or sign-in if you have an account The Canadian Forces and Global Affairs Canada are facing criticism after honouring members of Ukrainian organizations that helped the Nazis in the Second World War Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine Roman Waschuk spoke at an Aug 21 ceremony that unveiled a monument in Sambir to honour members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) two groups that are linked to the killing of tens of thousands of Jews and Poles The event has been condemned by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the Ukrainian Jewish Committee who warn the memorial whitewashes the role of Ukrainian collaborators in the Holocaust Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. “All Jews of Sambir were murdered by Nazis and their collaborators from OUN and UPA,” Eduard Dolinsky director-general of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee based in Kiev which is at the edge of a cemetery holding the remains of more than 1,200 Jews murdered by the Nazis and Ukrainian collaborators is a desecration and “double murder of the Jewish victims,” Dolinsky said “It’s like putting a monument to killers on the top of the graves of their victims.” Global Affairs Canada said the Sambir event was intended to assist efforts by the Jewish community in Canada and Ukraine to build public support to create an eventual memorial for the Jewish cemetery in the town That was the reason for Waschuk’s attendance and to suggest otherwise would be false The memorial is to 17 members of the OUN who the Ukrainians say were killed by the Nazis Ukrainians who tried to help them and “those Ukrainians who fought against the Nazi regime as members of OUN-UPA.” Members of the OUN-UPA supported the Nazis and helped round up and execute Jews after the Germans invaded Ukraine they broke away from their support of the Nazis but later joined forces again with Germany In 1943 the UPA started massacring Polish civilians The Canadian Forces said in a statement that military personnel were requested by the Canadian embassy in Ukraine to attend The attendance was “part of a whole government effort to champion tolerance in a democratic Ukraine and reiterate that totalitarian regimes (in both past and contemporary times and under all guises) have done injustices to Ukrainians,” the statement said Jewish organizations have been trying for years to erect a memorial at the Jewish cemetery removing the Star of David at the site and instead erecting three large Christian crosses on the Jewish cemetery A compromise was eventually reached; in exchange for removing the crosses a memorial to the dead OUN-UPA would be erected Waschuk called the memorial “a monument of love to one’s motherland And a motherland must know how to defend itself so that it does not suffer again from waves of inhuman totalitarian terror as happened during World War 2.” It’s not the first time that Canadian actions in Ukraine have raised concerns In June 2018 the Canadian government and military officials in Ukraine met with members of the ultranationalist Azov Battalion which earlier that year had been banned by the U.S Congress from receiving American arms because of its links to Neo-Nazis The Canadians were photographed with Azov battalion members images which were shared on the battalion’s social media site In a statement to Postmedia the Canadian Forces noted the meeting was planned by Ukrainian authorities and Canadian representatives had no prior knowledge of those who would be invited The Azov battalion has been connected to war crimes by the United Nations Various Jewish groups have warned about efforts to whitewash Nazi collaborators in eastern European countries portraying them as heroes instead of those who aided in the Holocaust the Canadian government added its voice to those condemning an annual parade in Latvia’s capital honouring members of the Nazi SS saying it opposes any such event glorifying Adolf Hitler’s regime Around 1,000 people marched in the parade in Riga on March 16 in honour of the Latvian SS divisions which fought for the Nazis in the Second World War Some in the parade wore swastikas and other Nazi insignias This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account Russia’s invasion drove eight million people out of Ukraine The Globe followed the life-altering journeys of those who left in the war’s first weeks This article was published more than 2 years ago It’s so sad when you wake up and you’re not at home.’ – Olena Tsebenko Olena tried to stay calm as her husband inched their car through the seemingly endless line at the Polish border but everything inside her was screaming for him to turn back She was nine months pregnant with their first child and terrified at the thought of leaving her home and her country She didn’t think she could face any changes not that close to her due date and not without knowing where they were going The morning had been a blur – the race out of Lviv after the first bombs hit the city and the brief stop at Andrii’s parents’ house in Sambir Olena saw the fear in the face of Andrii's mother as she begged them to go to Poland: “Today rockets are falling down and we don’t know what will happen tomorrow.” “What are you saying?” Olena replied through tears stopping in Sambir on their way to Przemysl Andrii convinced Olena that his mother was right and now she was stuck in the line at the border Her only comfort came from stroking her swollen belly It has been nearly a year since the world woke up to war in Ukraine Russian troops poured into the country from the north Missiles rained down on Kyiv and dozens of other cities And millions of families faced an agonizing decision: stay put and hope the bombs wouldn’t kill them or leave and rebuild their lives somewhere else Their homes were already destroyed and their livelihoods ruined after Ukrainian officials barred adult men from going abroad eight million Ukrainians made the decision to leave The vast majority of them are women and children Some found the separation from home too difficult and went back But most have stayed away and tried to start over We kept in touch with 19 people who left Ukraine in the first weeks of the war They come from all walks of life and they’ve endured varying hardships But each one has seen their life change forever 24 and she was turning 10 – almost a teenager like her sister Lisa Her parents had promised a celebration later that evening but Halyna and Bogdan were in a hurry to get to their dry goods store in Sambir’s marketplace They wished her “happy birthday” as they rushed out the door The first bombs struck just after they left shaking the house so hard that Eva felt sick She heard more explosions coming from the military base down the road the line at the Polish border seemed to go on forever Halyna hoped the few snacks she brought would be enough for Eva Lisa and the friends they’d crammed into the car she noticed people coming out of their homes along the highway and headed back to Sambir to keep the house safe and join the fight against the Russians you are alone,” he thought when he arrived home Halyna and the girls settled in the border city of Przemysl Halyna had spent a day here a couple of months earlier They’d stopped for lunch at a coffee shop called Fiore a volunteer offered her and the girls a place to stay just down the street from the café She walked by it every day and saw the cakes in the window Eva loved the Ukrainian school in Przemysl and she found herself skipping and singing down the sidewalk for the first time since the bombs was put down a grade and couldn’t relate to any of her classmates Halyna missed Bogdan too much and she told the kids that they were moving back to Sambir Bogdan drove Halyna and their two daughters from Sambir to the Polish border and then Przemysl for five months before returning home Since Halyna and her daughters have returned to Ukraine Eva spends hours in her bedroom transfixed by her phone She twitches at the sound of the air raid alarms and sometimes says to her mother: “Let’s go to Poland.” Nataliya seemed to spend half her life making the 40-minute drive between her family’s home in Irpin and Kyiv She drove there to take her oldest daughter to figure skating lessons and then countless times later when her youngest became a budding star in rhythmic gymnastics loved Irpin and wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else When the first bombs fell and the Russian soldiers began advancing on Irpin The car was jammed but Nataliya couldn’t say no She tucked Korgik in a cardboard box and made room in the back “The life of the rabbit was more important than things.” “This will be our life now,” Nataliya told Varvara as they crossed into Poland They had to leave Alexander behind in Ukraine along with Anastasia Nataliya’s only thought was getting her daughter to safety There was no time for tears or second guessing Nataliya watched as Varvara played with two little girls They had been left at the Polish border by their mother who had misplaced her ID and couldn’t cross into the country so she and a couple other women took care of them and made sure they got to their grandmother in Naples but she wondered about their mother and the painful choice she had to make Nataliya stood at a sink in a seafood restaurant in Fano Her two engineering degrees and years of experience as deputy director of an energy company didn’t mean much in this northern Italian town She’d been encouraged by another rhythmic gymnastics parent to come here so that Varvara could pursue her love of the sport But there wasn’t much support for newly-arrived Ukrainians and she had to constantly beg for rides to get Varvara to training a call came from a Ukrainian friend who had gone to Norway and she sang the praises of the country’s refugee program Nataliya found a volunteer willing to drive them to Stjordal stopping in Przemysl before continuing to Fano Nataliya watched nervously as Varvara competed in her first major competition Nataliya thought back to when they were in Fano Varvara spent time in the refugee shelter with an old woman from Ukraine The woman used to tell Varvara that if she didn’t do well in gymnastics her mother wouldn’t love her Nataliya knew her daughter was vulnerable and had taken the comments to heart nine months pregnant with her first child – a boy to be named Vladislav They’ve been told they can’t stay in their two-bedroom flat and Nataliya is lobbying refugee officials for a new apartment near a bus stop so Varvara can keep up with training She’s also trying to learn Norwegian so she can find a job but she laughs that her mathematical mind struggles with the nuances Nataliya recalls a line from Gone With The Wind She repeats the words of Scarlett O’Hara: “I’ll think about that tomorrow Mahmoud could see the explosions and watch people running for their lives All his dreams suddenly seemed so pointless the son of an Egyptian father and Ukrainian mother He spent six years in medical school and was on the cusp of graduating Mahmoud would have had to stay in Ukraine were it not for his Egyptian passport he was out of the country and in the lobby of a hotel in Katowice He was about to catch a charter flight with a group of other refugees to a place he’d never heard of until a few weeks ago – Newfoundland it’s in Canada and it has a medical school But when he talked to the licensing body in Newfoundland he learned about a vexing problem: To become a doctor he would have to complete a residency program that only permanent residents or citizens can apply for But you can’t apply if you’ve been out of medical school for two years and it takes more than that amount of time to become a permanent resident “They are saying that I just have to forget about medicine,” he said once the news sank in so that’s not a thing that I’m going to do where he took a flight with other refugees to St Mahmoud found a job working the front desk at the Delta Hotel but he often thought about returning to Ukraine he heard about an option that gave him hope once again He quit the hotel for a job at a senior’s home because it qualifies under the Atlantic Immigration Program The program helps employers hire skilled foreign workers for certain positions and it provides a fast-track to permanent residency Mahmoud can become a permanent resident in a year “I am trying my best to get there,” he says Olga and Ivan were also in Katowice that day in May waiting for the flight to this island called Newfoundland Olga knew Newfoundland was in Canada but not much else But it had to be better than staying in Chernivtsi The stress had been overwhelming and they were fighting all the time Ivan had a Romanian passport and Olga spoke passable English They could bring the cats – Bella and Simba She got a job cleaning rooms at a hotel in St Ivan landed work in construction and they found a basement apartment downtown When the landlord heard that they were from Ukraine Olga and Ivan fled Chernivtsi for the airport in Katowice Olga’s hotel job was fine but she desperately wanted to get back into real estate who was so impressed with her that he paid the $4,000 fee for her to take a licensing course It wouldn’t be long before she had her first clients Their pet insurance didn’t cover Bella’s kidney disease and the vet told Olga the treatment would cost $450 A woman in the waiting room overheard the conversation “I was hoping that probably she would live for a long time with me here in Canada I understand she was old and she lived a good life And I hope she was happy to live with me and to come here.” George squirmed as German police officers boarded the train in Dresden He handed over his passport and the officer glared George explained that he’s lived in Ukraine for five years and that he had fled Odesa on Feb the officer hauled George off the train and detained him while officers assessed whether he was a threat to national security George would’ve loved to burn his Russian passport He had nothing else to show the police: “I’m not related to anything I’m trying to cut my connection with Russia and I have no connections with Ukraine or anywhere.” George worried about how Yevheniiya would react She’d battled bipolar disorder for years and he knew she’d be anxious she focused on getting her loved ones to safety: George They made their way to Ternopil in western Ukraine Yevheniiya brought her five cats with them as she couldn’t bear going anywhere without them She’d been abandoned by her first husband and had a toxic relationship with her father She spent a lot of time sitting on the bathroom floor in tears But George found a psychiatrist and the therapy helped They didn’t know anyone in town and they stayed clear of their German neighbours George worked from home for a gaming company and Yevheniiya rekindled her interest in photography Her mother and younger brother took a flat in an apartment building next door George and Yevhiniiya left Odesa on the first day of the war then Leipzig and finally settled in town called Hartha Their relationship had been strained since he’d dropped out of university in St where he’d eventually met and married Yevheniiya his mother told him Ukraine is full of Nazis His younger brother barely acknowledged him I’m glad that the war happened because I have this reason to cut ties completely it’s a shame that my own blood is a victim of this regime.” He thought maybe that would help ease the tension George explained to his dad how they could access a site from Germany and Russia but his father found a million excuses not to try “That’s a bummer but nothing really changed,” he says the fire station sounds a siren precisely at 3 p.m It’s only a drill but it has the same eerie drone as the air raid alarms in Ukraine George and Yevheniiya still can’t get used to it and The happiest day of Sonya’s and Oliver’s lives was Feb Sonya had planned to keep studying psychology or open a restaurant Oliver wanted to design eco-friendly clothing and maybe start a commune one day to show the world how to live sustainably Two days into their married life they raced out of Kyiv as the first bombs started falling the couple stayed in the suburbs of London Sonya’s mother had fled to Italy to live with relatives bringing Sonya’s 18-year-old sister Stella doctors discovered that the stomach pain that had bothered Lena for so long was pancreatic cancer By the time she and Stella reunited with Sonya in England “Sometimes I feel that I don’t have emotions at all,” Sonya says driving through Hungary and Slovakia on their way to Warsaw They then spent time in the Netherlands before landing in Bracknell They liked the idea of living in a small town and Oliver’s parents planned to move there from the United States Sonya sets aside her own pain and tries to fill in the gap for the baby she and Oliver lost just before the war The doctors in Kyiv said the miscarriage was a genetic malformation and that Oliver and Sonya could try again She wonders how they would have coped as refugee parents and starting a family now is far from her mind But so many things have happened that I’m exhausted.” They’ve kept Lena’s ashes at a funeral home near London Her dying wish was to be buried in Ukraine but the war and red tape keep getting in the way I need to send them to Ukraine,” Sonya tells officials at the embassy Sonya has given up revealing too much of herself “A lot of people don’t want to deal with their inside,” she has learned of the culture they don’t want to deal with your emotions and they don’t want you to feel that emotion.” jumped in the car as the first missiles struck Kyiv Zinaida had never been out of Ukraine and now she was headed for Hungary and then Poland They were travelling with friends of her son – a young couple named Oliver and Sonya Zinaida didn’t know them well and couldn’t follow their conversation in English The child has no siblings and her mother died years ago Her father – Zinaida’s oldest son – had joined the Ukrainian army “When I crossed the border into Poland I was in shock,” she recalls She retired a few years ago and spent most days watching over Sonya she took Sonya to school and jiujutsu classes She couldn’t speak Polish and her Ukrainian pension cheque went almost nowhere Zinaida told Sonya that it was time to return to Ukraine They couldn’t go back to Zinaida’s village because it was under Russian occupation Zinaida and her granddaughter Sonya left their home near Kherson stopping in Kyiv before being driven to Warsaw From the 14th-floor balcony of her borrowed apartment Zinaida can watch the missiles when they strike Kyiv But she won’t leave the flat when the air raid siren sounds She’s too afraid of power cuts and she can’t climb the stairs So they cower in Sonya’s room until it’s over Desperate things in my head,” she says as tears well in her eyes drawing pictures of houses and flowers and happier times Her father calls from the front when he can who lives back home near Kherson where the Russians are in charge Her daughter has found work and the Russians pay well But she cries at the thought that she’ll lose contact for good “The Russians have driven me from my home three times.” First from Georgia in 2008 and Crimea in 2014 “It hurts inside when you lose everything,” she says All Lali has ever wanted is to make people happy through food Not just any food: the sumptuous dishes from her homeland of Georgia She owned a Georgian restaurant in Crimea and managed three more – one in Kyiv and two in Mariupol – before the Russian army invaded Lali and her family had to hide in their basement for weeks She watched young mothers weep because they couldn’t produce enough milk and their babies died The family finally got out of the city in a daring evacuation by bus Lali and her son Mikhail went on to Poland Mikhail made sure he left Mariupol with his most prized possession: a manicure kit he’d been doing his mother’s nails and hair for years he and his mother lived in a shelter with women from Mariupol many still traumatized from what they’d been through Mikhail pulled out his kit and painted hearts stars and bright colours on everyone’s nails Lali wanted to keep making food for people but she couldn’t speak Polish and kitchen jobs paid next to nothing She couldn’t speak English either but friends who’d gone to Ireland told her there would still be better prospects for her in Dublin Lali and her son Mikhail were evacuated from Mariupol last March and went to Warsaw After four months in a shelter for women and children from Mariupol they moved to Dublin and then Castlebar on Ireland’s west coast they were crushed to find out that the shelter there was closed They shared a room with two other refugees at the town’s Royal Hotel and Theatre joining the thousands of Ukrainians sent to the city but there was not much call for a Georgian chef around here She begged the hotel manager to let her into the kitchen to sprinkle some variety into the bland menu but he’s paid under the table and less than the locals The clients adore him and call him “busy Misha.” He was told to spend 45 minutes on each customer which is less than half what he needs for the perfection he craves using his tools and his talent to make refugee women look beautiful Last fall an old colleague from Mariupol called Lali to tell her he’d landed in Toronto He wants her to come and help him open a Georgian restaurant It’s farther from home – and she clings to the idea that she’ll be reunited with her family in her homeland – but she’s so excited that she rushed to apply for Canadian visas for her and Mikhail “You have to live and go forward,” she says Olena and Andrii’s daughter was born on March 17 in Przemysl Olena has shown Vira pictures of Ukraine and bought her books about the country to read one day Even her birth certificate has been translated from Polish to Ukrainian who had left Ukraine mere hours before he wouldn't have been allowed out but he feels fortunate that he can be with his family almost speaking a few words of her mother tongue “When Vira grows up we will tell her all the stories Olena Tsebenko, Sonya and Oliver Hawes and George Fedorov speak with The Decibel's Menaka Raman-Wilms about leaving behind their homes on February 24, 2022. From births to deaths and marriages, they share their stories of how their lives have carried on in the wake of the war. Subscribe for more episodes. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ‘Sometimes when I sleep \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Przemysl Poland\n Olena and Andrii Tsebenko\n ‘This word It’s really important thinking.’ – Olena Tsebenko\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Olena Tsebenko with her 11-month-old daughter Vira in Przemysl Olena and her husband fled Ukraine when she was nine months pregnant.\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Olena tried to stay calm as her husband inched their car through the seemingly endless line at the Polish border \n \n \n \n \n \n Olena Tsebenko four days after the full-scale Russian invasion began.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Vira 2022.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Olena walks seven-month-old Vira by the San River in Przemysl she spends a lot of time alone when Andrii is working.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n Olena reads to Vira Vira has started to say her first words in Ukrainian.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The family at a restaurant in Przemysl left Ukraine only hours before he would have been mandated to stay.\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Forced from home\n It has been nearly a year since the world woke up to war in Ukraine \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Halyna Lazar with 15-year-old Lisa (left) and 10-year-old Eva in western Ukraine.\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Eva woke up early \n \n \n \n \n \n Although Przemysl was safe Lisa struggled to make friends at her new school and Halyna missed her husband Bogdan.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Halyna Lazar and her daughters Eva (left) and Lisa stayed in Ostrow for a short time before moving on to Przemysl Halyna struggled after fleeing Ukraine.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n Halyna with a customer at her dry goods shop in Sambir She and her daughters returned last August.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lisa takes a walk while her mother closes up the family’s shop She’s happier being back in Sambir.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bogdan Eva and Halyna at their home last November.\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Stjordal Anastasia and Varvara\n ‘Sometimes I hate the night and I’m crying But you try to hold yourself together and take the next step.’ – Nataliya Vtoryhina\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Nataliya Vtoryhina after she gets off the phone with close friends living under Russian occupation.\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Like suburban parents everywhere \n \n \n \n \n \n Varvara Vtoryhina practises rhythmic gymnastics at the train station in Przemysl Italy.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n On March 10 Nataliya Vtoryhina and Varvara waited all night for the bus to Italy.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n After moving to Norway Nataliya and Varvara travel to Vikhammer for a national rhythmic gymnastics competition.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Varvara laughs with other gymnasts after the competition in Vikhammer.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Varvara’s older sister who was nine months pregnant at the end of January joined the family in Stjordal.\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n St Nfld.\n Mahmoud Atris\n ‘I couldn’t believe it when I got here I was feeling that I’m dreaming.’ – Mahmoud Atris\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mahmoud Atris 2022.\n Paul Daly/The Globe and Mail\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n From his living room window in Irpin \n \n \n \n \n \n Mahmoud Atris and a group of refugees from Ukraine board a bus to the airport in Katowice They took a charter flight to Canada on May 9 2022.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mahmoud waits for the flight to Newfoundland where he plans to continue his medical studies.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mahmoud at a St He’s living there to save money while figuring out if he’ll stay in Canada Paul Daly/The Globe and Mail\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n On Sept Mahmoud heads off to work at the Delta Hotel He’s since switched to a job that gives him a faster path to permanent residency Paul Daly/The Globe and Mail\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n St Nfld.\n Olga and Ivan Antoniuk\n ‘I am feeling bad because I don’t know how to return it back – everything that people are doing for me.’ – Olga Antoniuk\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ivan and Olga Antoniuk 2022.\n Paul Daly/The Globe and Mail\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Olga and Ivan were also in Katowice that day in May \n \n \n \n \n \n Olga checks on her two cats while waiting for their flight to Canada.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Olga Antoniuk They joined a group of refugees from Ukraine on a charter flight to Newfoundland.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ivan and Olga found a basement apartment in downtown St When the landlord found out they were refugees Paul Daly/The Globe and Mail\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Hartha Germany\n George Fedorov and Yevheniiya Fedorova\n ‘I want this war to end I want Russia to be free.’ – George Fedorov\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Yevheniiya Fedorova The couple don’t know anyone in town and prefer to keep largely to themselves.\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n George squirmed as German police officers boarded the train in Dresden \n \n \n \n \n \n Yevheniiya Fedorova knits to soothe her nerves at a shelter after arriving in Przemysl 2022.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n George Fedorov’s relationship with his family in Russia has fractured since the war He and Yevheniiya left Odesa shortly after the invasion and they now share a flat in Hartha Germany.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Yevheniiya shows off the tattoo she got in Germany of Ukraine’s national symbol 'will or freedom.' \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n George and Yevheniiya head to a store in their new neighbourhood in Hartha in early January to buy toys for their five cats.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n George takes a break from remote work at a gaming company to look out the window of their two-bedroom flat.\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Ayr Scotland\n Sonya and Oliver Hawes\n ‘This is a hard time You’re allowed to cry and if anyone says that you’re not don’t listen to them.’ – Sonya Hawes\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Oliver and Sonya Hawes where they landed four months after fleeing Kyiv.\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n The happiest day of Sonya’s and Oliver’s lives was Feb \n \n \n \n \n \n After fleeing Kyiv on Feb Oliver and Sonya Hawes first stayed with a family friend in Warsaw Poland.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The couple walk to their apartment in Bracknell in late November six weeks after Sonya’s mother died from cancer.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n Oliver and Sonya in Bracknell They were married in Kyiv just two days before the Russian invasion.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sonya’s 18-year-old sister Stella (right) joined them in the U.K after their mother died.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Oliver and Sonya hold hands in Bracknell in November the couple have been trying to send Lena’s ashes to relatives in Ukraine.\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Kyiv Ukraine\n Zinaida Polosina and Sonya Frolova\n ‘My soul wants to go home.’ – Zinaida Polosina\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Zinaida Polosina returned to Ukraine in August after living in Warsaw she now lives in a borrowed apartment in Kyiv.\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Zinaida and her 10-year-old granddaughter \n \n \n \n \n \n After arriving at the home of a family friend in Warsaw last March Zinaida Polosina cries at the thought of where she and her 12-year-old granddaughter will go next.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Zinaida and Sonya still feel like refugees because they can’t go back to their village near Kherson which is under Russian control.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Zinaida picks up Sonya from school in Kyiv Lessons are interrupted almost daily for hours because of air raid alarms.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sonya draws in her room after school in Kyiv she has no siblings and her father is serving on the front line.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Zinaida’s son Mykola Polosin comforts her as she reflects on the broken relationship with her sister Olga.\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Castlebar Ireland\n Lali Dmitrieva and Mikhail\n ‘I think Toronto will be the last place I go I hope so.’ – Lali Dmitrieva\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lali Dmitrieva visits a Roman Catholic church in Castlebar The church occasionally holds services in her Orthodox tradition however only in English.\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Lali held up three fingers \n \n \n \n \n \n Lali Dmitrieva has been chased out of three homes by the Russian army she fled to the HumanDoc Relief House outside Warsaw with other families from Mariupol.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lali’s 17-year-old son enjoys Easter lunch with other kids from Ukraine Much of the food was prepared by his mother.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mikhail has been doing his mother’s nails and hair for years He dreams of one day becoming a fashion designer.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mikhail does the nails of fellow Ukrainians at the Royal Hotel and Theatre in Castlebar where they live with 72 other refugees.\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n Lali used to manage three Georgian restaurants in Ukraine But she can’t speak English and there’s little call for a Georgian chef in Castlebar.\n \n \n Tap photos for info\n Click photos for info\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Vira Tsebenko\n Przemysl Poland\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Seven-month-old Vira Tsebenko reaches for a block in Przemysl 2022.\n \n \n \n\n \n\n \n Olena and Andrii’s daughter was born on March 17 in Przemysl Olena Tsebenko, Sonya and Oliver Hawes and George Fedorov speak with The Decibel's Menaka Raman-Wilms about leaving behind their homes on February 24, 2022. From births to deaths and marriages, they share their stories of how their lives have carried on in the wake of the war. Subscribe for more episodes. Services for Raising Capital & Sell a Business Get a monthly investment magazine in private equity and venture capital Himera, a Ukrainian developer of secure communication radio stations, has raised $525,000 from a new angel team. The fresh capital will be used to strengthen the products that the team supplies to the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Himera is a defense tech startup developing and manufacturing EW-protected tactical military radio systems. Himera was founded by Mykhailo Rudominskyi at the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, serial production only began in April 2023. According to the startup, the russian military cannot block its radio signals or decipher it. The design allows to keep the device charged up to 4 days. Moreover, the radios can be integrated into the situational awareness system or used as a GPS beacon for searching and evacuating soldiers. Users can control the system of radio stations simply through the application on the phone. Mykhailo Rudominskyi, co-founder of Himera, commented on the round.In 2023, Himera won an award in the defense tech category at IT-Arena and received a grant in the amount of $10,000, which the team used for the scaling and development of its product. With the fresh funding, the startup plans to release the next version of the product and receive a government order in 2024, - commented the round Mykhailo Rudominskyi, co-founder of Himera Join as a partner Advertising Team Vacancies Contacts Services for Raising Capital & Sell a Business Investment proposals Investment Projects and Startups Business for Sale Commercial Property Land Franchising Investor Offers Services for Raising Capital & Sell a Business Services for Investors Private Equity & M&A Venture Capital & Startups Government Investments Stock Market & IPO Real Estate Investments Investment digest Research Articles Investment interview We invest in Ukraine Investors ASAJAYA: The long-standing Asajaya Unity Cup Football Championship is set for a grander stage in 2026 following the announcement of RM100,000 in funding granted to the organising body The announcement was made by Asajaya assemblyman during the closing ceremony of the 57th edition of the tournament held in Kampung Sambir today Abdul Karim expressed hope that the increased funding – up from RM60,000 this year – will further elevate the prestige and excitement of the tournament which is one of the oldest football competitions in Sarawak He also commended the organising committee for their unwavering dedication in making the annual event a festive-season highlight “Well done to the organising committee for their outstanding efforts in making this tournament a continued success year after year We believe their performance and commitment will remain strong in the years to come,” he said I would like to express our sincere thanks for the RM100,000 allocation announced by Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah,” he said Nov 12: Sarawak needs reciprocated arrangement with Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia prior to opening its borders Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah He was responding to a reporter’s query whether Sarawak would open its borders to both neighbouring countries as an initial step in rejuvenating the State’s tourism industry “That requires reciprocated arrangement with Brunei and Indonesia If we open our borders and Brunei has yet to do the same then it would not be a successful initiative “I hope the Malaysian government would be able to establish a travel bubble here (in Sarawak) so that we could also have a travel corridor with other places,” he said when presenting compensation cheques for land whitening and the expansion of the Islamic cemetery and infrastructure and telecommunication development in Kampung Sambir National Recovery Council (NRP) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin proposed to the government for the country’s borders to be opened to foreigners by Jan 1 This came following reports that Malaysia will be opening up a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Changi Airport and a Vaccinated Travel Corridor (VTC) between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur which is expected to take effect on Nov 29 will enable fully-vaccinated Malaysians and Singaporeans to travel between the two countries without the need to observe any quarantine JOIN NOW Feb 1: SJK (C) Chung Hua Miri has won the first runner-up placing at the National Junior Innovate (JI) 2020 competition yesterday The team from the school narrowly lost to the DT Girls team from Melaka Chumbaka Sdn Bhd (Chumbaka) in a press statement today said four out of the top six spots were won by teams from Sarawak It disclosed the teams were SJK (C) Chung Hua (Miri) SJK (C) Sacred Heart (Sibu) and SJK (C) Hock Lam (Kapit) Chumbaka said SJK (C) Thai Kwang (Sibu) clinched the third runner up in the competition while SJK (C) Sacred Heart (Sibu) and SJK (C) Hock Lam (Kapit) were awarded with commendation prizes The other Sarawakian teams which received the Gold and Silver awards were SJK (C) Hock Lam (Kapit) Chumbaka said a total of 30 teams were competing for the National Gold and Silver awards at the National JI 2020 competition while vying to be crowned the top to sixth  teams in Malaysia Commenting on the final results of the competition Chumbaka Centre’s coordinator Haslina Malek said “I am truly amazed by the standards and quality of the students’ projects for Junior Innovate 2020 we are seeing many rural schools in Sarawak taking up the challenge in 2020 to create coding with technology,” she said Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC)’s innovation and entrepreneurship head  Hazwan Razak said is something really important for the students and we hope that more partners from all the other states join us in supporting our students’ education,” he said the national host for this year’s competition has agreed to continue their collaboration with all partners to support even more Sarawakian schools to participate in 2021 Junior Innovate as part of their mandate to further develop the Sarawak digital and innovation ecosystem Schools that are keen to participate are required to register their interest at http://bit.ly/jiandyic2021 Chumbaka said students were given five minutes to pitch their projects with the theme “A Game for Change – A Clean and Happy Earth” followed by the question and answer sessions by the judges in the final judging round It revealed that the judging panel was seated by representatives from SDEC Tabungan Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (Tegas) Science and Technological Research (MESTR) Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)