Ukrainian allies renew calls for support as Russia ramps up attacks

War has carried on in Ukraine for over 230 days.

The fighting has ebbed and flowed for months, with Russia making hasty advances early on, only to meet fierce Ukrainian resistance.

In recent weeks, campaigns by Ukrainian defenders in the eastern part of the country have yielded great success, with forces retaking dozens of communities in the Kherson region.

Similar endeavours have resulted in most of the Kharkiv region returning to Ukrainian control, as well as parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to reports.

But the celebration of these advances is muted, as Russia has stepped up missile strikes across the country in recent days, striking cities in western Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv.

The shelling is in retaliation for an Oct. 8 truck bomb explosion on a crucial bridge that links Russia to annexed Crimea.

It’s this recent rise in shelling, and Russia’s formal but internationally widely unrecognized annexation of several regions of Ukraine, that has renewed calls for support among Kelowna's Ukrainian allies.

“A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks that we want to get people’s attention towards,” Denys Storozhuk, founder of Kelowna Stands with Ukraine told Kelowna10. The group held its first rally since spring at Kerry Park on Saturday.

Storozhuk said Russia has bombed essential infrastructure for energy and heating, leaving many people without power as winter approaches.

“Of course, there’s always a chance that a missile will land at your house, there’s a lot of air raids,” he explained. “My uncle, who’s in Kyiv, said it has been quiet during the summer, but now [Russia] has started to attack again.”

He’s heard from friends and family still in Ukraine that a renewed sense of fear and uncertainty has washed over citizens after a quiet summer.

During the downtown rally, donations were being accepted to help civilians and those on the front lines. Money for soldiers will mostly go towards uniforms and winter clothes, while other dollars will go towards generators and heaters for civilians this winter.

Funds were also being accepted for dozens of Ukrainian refugees who have landed in Kelowna.

Storozhuk said the rally was also a way to give those refugees a chance to support the efforts together.

“A good half of people who came to Kelowna, came because they knew they’re coming to a community we try to lead and organize,” Storozhuk said.

Mykola Gridasov and his family fled their home city of Odesa seven weeks ago and said they have felt welcomed in Kelowna.

“The Ukrainian Kelowna community has developed plans in the future for helping Ukrainian people who are coming to Canada as Ukraine refugees with families and children,” he said.

Gridasov said he has enjoyed spending time fishing on Okanagan Lake and spending time in the warm weather with his family, but he still worries about his home country.

“In Ukraine, there’s still the war and every day rockets are shooting,” he said. “I don’t see a possibility for my family to go back.”