The fight may be raging at home, but local Ukrainian Canadians feel support against a war they want to end.
A sea of blue and yellow could be seen at Lloydminster City Hall on Feb. 23 and 24 as members of the local Ukrainian community marked the third anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Sunday’s crowd of roughly 30 enjoyed encouraging honks from passing motorists while sharing their message.
“We want to save our land, our traditions, our people,” said Lloyd resident and Ukraine native Iryna Lukomska.
The former vocational school vice principal moved to Canada in 2022 after the war broke out.
“It was horrible. We didn’t know what happened in our town,” she said. “I was living in the centre of Ukraine, and most events were in the eastern part. We didn’t know what was going on, our phones and internet connection weren’t working.”
Ten days later, Lukomska left her native town and headed to Poland. Three months later, she moved to Canada.
“Canada’s very support of Ukraine, what we’re fighting for, especially for our independence, freedom, our land,” she said, noting she loves the work she does at Odyssey Community Childcare Society.
“I’m working with small kids and it’s a very good opportunity for me. I love it, and I love the community here. They’re very good people.”
The war has also been top-of-mind for Ukrainian native Liliia Savchuk.
“We have a really big (Ukrainian) community here in Lloydminster,” said Savchuk. “I want to tell everybody ‘Don’t be afraid, support Ukraine, donate, love Ukraine, and help each other.’ That’s what we need to know.”
Savchuk has lived in Canada for roughly 10 years and continues to fight for her beliefs and homeland.
“I’m worried about the future but I’m hopeful the world will stand together with Ukraine. If not, Russia will go through Europe. They won’t stop in Ukraine,” she said, noting things have gotten worse in the last year with the reelection of President Donald Trump.
“When Trump won the presidential election, it got worse. He was doing bad things and didn’t understand what was going on in the real world.”
The Russian invasion of major Ukrainian cities started on Feb. 24, 2022. As of January 2025, roughly 46,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed with an additional 390,000 wounded. A total of 12,600 civilians have also been killed.
Russian death tolls come in around 95,000, however, military analysts consulted by researchers estimate the list only represents 45 to 65 per cent of Russia’s total casualties.
Read more: Rally marks two years of war
