Calgary vigil marks 1 year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Posted Feb 25, 2023 11:41 am.
A candlelight vigil was organized by the Calgary Chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (CCUK) at City Hall on Friday evening.
The first floor of the Municipal Building was packed with people of all ages, couples, children, and families in general, who came out in the freezing weather with flags and candles, just to show their solidarity.
The vigil was initially supposed to take place outside of City Hall, but the organizers had to shift the event inside due to temperatures falling below -25 C.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Tyler Shandro, and other Calgary Councillors were among the hundreds of people who attended, including Ukrainian Calgarians.
“It’s been a rough year, and I am happy to see that a lot of people are here. Its really good that a lot of government people … individuals came out in support. I enjoyed the speeches of some of them. It shows support. It shows that the world is with Ukraine,” said Alina Schneider, a Ukrainian Calgarian.
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Meanwhile, Ukrainian singers sang local songs, and some newcomers shared their stories of fleeing the war and re-settling in Canada.
“The war still goes on so it would be nice to have some targeted help with finding housing … and other things like that,” said Illaya Ivanov, a volunteer with CCUK.
Real candles are not allowed to be lit inside the City Hall, so the participants of the vigil lit electronic candles and prayed for peace.
Stephania Romaniuk, the organizer of this vigil, says they just want an end to this war.
“Russia invaded eastern part of Ukraine in 2014, which in fact makes it nine years anniversary. The important message we want to share with Calgarians today is that we hope that this is the last anniversary of this war. And that we can celebrate a new day in 2023, which is the victory day for Ukraine,” said Romaniuk.
