Ukrainian refugee shares story from war to Canada

As hundreds of Ukrainian refugees make their way to Canada after being displaced by the Russian invasion of their country, CityNews had a chance to meet some of the many people who arrived in Winnipeg on Monday to learn about their horrifying escape.

“To be honest, we ourselves did not expect that people are so welcoming to meet Ukrainian families in such a way, help them in everything,” said Yevhen Dehtiarov, one of the 328 Ukrainians who arrived in Manitoba from Ukraine.

Yevhen Dehtiarov tells CityNews his story of travelling from Ukraine to Canada. (Photo: CityNews)

Tuesday marked three months since Russia began its unprovoked war on Ukraine — 90 gruelling days that have seen thousands of innocent civilians killed and millions displaced.

But Monday afternoon brought mixed emotions for many at Winnipeg’s airport.

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“The trip went great,” said Dehtiarov. “We are very happy that we got here. We had such an honour boarding this plane, and that we were given this chance. My family and I are now here in Canada, and we are doing well.”

Dehtiarov, his wife, and his three children were born in Mariupol, the south-eastern port city of Ukraine that has been nearly levelled by the Russians. On March 26, Dehtiarov and his family tried to leave the besieged city on foot but were stopped by Russian forces.

Wreckage of a building in Mariupol following Russian attacks. (Photo Courtesy: Yevhen Dehtiarov)

“Everything there was surrounded on all sides. We walked out of the city, got out, but were put on a bus and taken to a village near Mariupol. There, we were assigned to buses and taken to Taganrog, in Russia.”

When they arrived in Taganrog, Dehtiarov said the Russians wanted to put him and his family on a train to Novosibirsk, in Siberia.

“But it’s good we had relatives living in Russia,” he said. “They helped us with money, and we ended up buying bus tickets, fleeing to Estonia.”

After a long journey, they escaped to Estonia. From there, they were able to travel through Latvia, Lithuania, and then on to Warsaw, Poland, where they caught their flight to Winnipeg.

“We are very satisfied and happy,” he explained.

Dehtiarov and his family are leaving Tuesday for Calgary, where a family is waiting to help them. Some Ukrainians from the flight Dehtiarov arrived on are catching connecting flights to different cities across Canada, but many are staying in Winnipeg with some in need of housing.

“It really depends on what people’s budgets are, where they want to live, how many bedrooms they need, so we are all trying to figure that out,” explained Codi Guenther, executive director of New Journey Housing.

Guenther says planning is just beginning as the flight only arrived 24 hours ago.

“We know that families are really concerned about schools and where their kids are going to go, so we want to help get adjusted and get their feet planted here so they could start searching for jobs, schools, and other necessities.”

The majority Dehtiarov’s family remains in Ukraine, with his mother returning to Mariupol. But he says he doesn’t want that for his family and will not put them in danger.

“They destroyed our house, our apartment, cars, businesses, we have lost everything, and we do not plan to return to Ukraine,” explained Dehtiarov. “War. This is scary. I don’t want anyone else to go through the same experience my family has gone through. It’s hard to remember everything. I just hope other people in other countries don’t experience what we went through.”