Ukrainians mark Independence Day in St. John's amid ongoing war against their home country

For Ukrainians in St. John's, their home country's independence day is both an occasionto celebrate and reflect.

That's why a family festivalin Bannerman Park on Saturday marked the day withgames and live music, but also a photo exhibition on the ongoing war againstthe country.

"A war exhibition among the beautiful day, the beautiful place where people are hanging out. And still, we have pictures of terrible destroyed houses," said Yuliia Veretennyk, one of the Ukrainian newcomers who organized the event.

"You can show with this how Ukrainians are feeling because every morning, we're waking up reading news,trying to find out if our relatives are alive after the next bombing. And then, we're smiling. We go to work, we go to Costco, we go to stores and we smile to everyone. And we combine those two lives.And this festival is somethingto show how to be Ukrainian during the war."

Veretennykwas among the first Ukrainians who cameto Newfoundland more thantwo years ago, fleeing her home town Dniprowith her parents, husband and children. She is one of millions of Ukrainians who have left sinceRussia invadedthe country on Feb. 24, 2024.

It's a circumstance that adds meaning to an already important day, she said.

"Russia is trying to take over Ukraine and we're trying to keep our independence. So, it's very important. Now, many people are dying for our independence," said Veretennyk.

"My brother is still there. I lost my cousin, my husband lost his brother in the war. I would like to go home and at least visit my home but because of the war, I cannot do it. And I want Ukraine to be independent as fast as possible, for us to go home and to see our relatives, to visit the graves of our relatives."

For Ukrainians in St. Johns, celebrating their independence comes with mixed emotions

1 month ago

Duration 2:49

With a family festival in Bannerman Park Saturday, members of the Ukrainian community marked the countrys Independence Day. For co-organizers Yuliia Veretennyk and Kateryna Blinda, the day holds joy and sadness alike, as they say the importance of independence has become even clearer since Russias invasion two years ago.

Yet, Veretennyk said she also wantedto use the event in a positive way, to educate visitors about Ukrainian culture, music and food. She hopes to secure sponsors to hold similar events in other communities across the Avalon Peninsula, and eventually, across the entire island.

One of Saturday's sponsors was the Avalon Branch of the Ukrainian NationalFederation of Canada, whichheld its ownmusic and dance festival in St. John's on Saturday evening.

Michael Holden, board member for the federation,said the goal is to organize more events focused on Ukrainian culture across the province.

"That's super important for the Ukrainians that live here, and for Newfoundlanders and Labradoriansto help understand andwelcome them," he said.

The number of Ukrainians in the province, said Holden, has increased significantly since the Russian invasion in 2022, from only about 100 to 4,000 Ukrainian newcomers, and there has been an outpouring ofsupport and solidarity.

"To see families that have tofleecertain parts of Ukraine and they haveto leave their country because they're so worried about bombings and fighting,I think we can't even imagine that happening in such a peaceful place as Canada," said Holden."So, I think that is a bigreason why the Ukrainian community is getting such tremendous support."

Connecting with localsand having conversations about the ongoing war is also what Kateryna Blinda was hoping to achieve at the event.

As one of theorganizers, she was in charge of displaying photosby Ukrainianphotojournalist Yan Dobronosov,so local residents could get an idea of thedestruction in the country.

"It's never stopped for a single day in Ukraine during the lastalmost more than two years. And of course, it's really important to remind everybody that we are still fighting for our independence," said Blinda.

"We especially decided to show these photos especially this year, thatpeople can realize that it's not two years ago. Just today, it was two months ago, it was horrible attack in Kyiv when the mainchildren hospital was attacked."

Kyiv, Ukraine's capital,is also where Blinda camefrom in September 2022, fleeing the war. While she said she is happy to be in Canada, Ukrainian Independence Day has beena day of mixed emotions for the past two years.

"Before that, it was really great celebration. It was a big event for us. Of course, we're very proud that we are Ukrainians. We're really proud that we're from Ukraine. But fortoday, after Russia invades Ukraine, we just realizedwhat it mean for us," she said.

"It's happy daybut it's really sad day for us because Independence Day, itmeans really a lot for us and we still fighting for our independence."

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