Ukrainians today are marking August 24th as the nation’s independence day, even as the country continues the fifth year of war with Russia that has forced millions to flee the country.
Locally, a celebration has held downtown on Saturday by the recently established Rushnyk Ukrainian Association. The group’s founder, Madina Kononenko, says the organization has helped numerous Ukrainian newcomers get settled in Canada, and she says independence has great significance where they came from.
Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union back on August 24, 1991. About 300,000 Ukrainians have also come to Canada ever since Russia began their invasion into the country in February of 2022.