A year ago tomorrow, Russia invaded Ukraine, shattering the postwar international order and shaking the West\’s misguided notion of accommodating autocracies. Since then, the West has become more aware of the differences between Ukraine and Russia, which go beyond territorial control and include the economic system each country has put in place. To support Ukraine\’s existential struggle and European future, the West has become willing to provide weapons, and has put together 10 sanctions packages since the invasion. These sanctions have focused on restricting the flow of resources to and from Russia, and have been successful in deterring Russia and causing economic strain. However, it is also necessary to revisit the sanctions on asset holdings, and look at the possibility of using Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine. This is a war between Russia and the West, and understanding the differences between the countries and the implications of sanctions is essential for continuing to support Ukraine.
As G-7 chair, Japan is taking the lead in global support for Ukraine, one year after Russia\’s invasion. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has imposed tough sanctions on Russia, and provided financial aid and humanitarian and medical supplies. Japan cannot provide weapons due to its pacifist Constitution, so it is focusing on nonmilitary support such as rebuilding infrastructure. At the upcoming G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan can take the initiative on the Ukraine crisis and send a message that any attempts to change the status quo by force are unacceptable in the East and South China seas, and the Taiwan Strait. Follow my Facebook group to stay up to date on the G-7 summit and the Ukraine crisis.
China and Russia have pledged to deepen their partnership as tension rises surrounding the one-year anniversary of Russia\’s invasion of Ukraine. China\’s top diplomat Wang Yi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Beijing was ready to enhance ties. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed security assurances for NATO\’s \”frontline\” eastern members. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister sought to calm nerves, saying the step did not make a nuclear war more likely. Schools in Ukraine have taken their classes online for the rest of the week for fear of an upsurge in Russian missile attacks. Russia is due to begin military exercises with China in South Africa on Friday and has sent a frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles. NATO allies and other supporters have sent Ukraine tens of billions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Beijing against supplying weapons to Moscow, prompting anger from China. Tensions remain high in Europe as the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches. The UN rights office has recorded more than 8,000 civilians killed, and millions more have been displaced. NATO allies have promised modern battle tanks, though they have yet to offer Western fighter jets sought by Kyiv.
China and Russia have pledged to deepen their partnership as tension rises surrounding the one-year anniversary of Russia\’s invasion of Ukraine. China\’s top diplomat Wang Yi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Beijing was ready to enhance ties. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed security assurances for NATO\’s \”frontline\” eastern members. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister sought to calm nerves, saying the step did not make a nuclear war more likely. Schools in Ukraine have taken their classes online for the rest of the week for fear of an upsurge in Russian missile attacks. Russia is due to begin military exercises with China in South Africa on Friday and has sent a frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles. NATO allies and other supporters have sent Ukraine tens of billions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Beijing against supplying weapons to Moscow, prompting anger from China. Tensions remain high in Europe as the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches. The UN rights office has recorded more than 8,000 civilians killed, and millions more have been displaced. NATO allies have promised modern battle tanks, though they have yet to offer Western fighter jets sought by Kyiv.
China and Russia have pledged to deepen their partnership as tension rises surrounding the one-year anniversary of Russia\’s invasion of Ukraine. China\’s top diplomat Wang Yi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Beijing was ready to enhance ties. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed security assurances for NATO\’s \”frontline\” eastern members. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister sought to calm nerves, saying the step did not make a nuclear war more likely. Schools in Ukraine have taken their classes online for the rest of the week for fear of an upsurge in Russian missile attacks. Russia is due to begin military exercises with China in South Africa on Friday and has sent a frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles. NATO allies and other supporters have sent Ukraine tens of billions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Beijing against supplying weapons to Moscow, prompting anger from China. Tensions remain high in Europe as the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches. The UN rights office has recorded more than 8,000 civilians killed, and millions more have been displaced. NATO allies have promised modern battle tanks, though they have yet to offer Western fighter jets sought by Kyiv.
China and Russia have pledged to deepen their partnership as tension rises surrounding the one-year anniversary of Russia\’s invasion of Ukraine. China\’s top diplomat Wang Yi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Beijing was ready to enhance ties. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed security assurances for NATO\’s \”frontline\” eastern members. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister sought to calm nerves, saying the step did not make a nuclear war more likely. Schools in Ukraine have taken their classes online for the rest of the week for fear of an upsurge in Russian missile attacks. Russia is due to begin military exercises with China in South Africa on Friday and has sent a frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles. NATO allies and other supporters have sent Ukraine tens of billions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Beijing against supplying weapons to Moscow, prompting anger from China. Tensions remain high in Europe as the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches. The UN rights office has recorded more than 8,000 civilians killed, and millions more have been displaced. NATO allies have promised modern battle tanks, though they have yet to offer Western fighter jets sought by Kyiv.
Russia and China are deepening their ties as the war in Ukraine continues to upend the global diplomatic order. Relations between Russia and the West are at their lowest point since the Cold War, and ties between China and the U.S. are also under serious strain. Both countries are showcasing their defense ties, with military drills and the arrival of a Russian frigate in Cape Town. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that any Chinese involvement in Russia\’s war effort would be a \”serious problem.\” China has refused to criticize the invasion and has echoed Moscow\’s claim that the U.S. and NATO are to blame for provoking the Kremlin.
On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people attended a mass event at Moscow\’s Luzhniki Stadium, timed for Defender of the Fatherland Day. The event was organized by the Kremlin, with attendants signing up via youth organizations, state companies, and educational institutions. President Vladimir Putin took to the stage to chants of \”Russia! Russia!\” and spoke of defending interests, people, and culture. The event also featured pop stars and a group of young children from Mariupol, Ukraine. Other festivities are expected across the country in the coming days, with the Kremlin sending out guidelines to regional authorities. Join the conversation and follow my Facebook group for more information about Russia.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently called President Dr Arif Alvi to discuss Pakistan\’s support on the draft resolution being tabled in the United Nations General Assembly for ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The two leaders discussed Pakistan-Ukraine political and economic ties and the need for enhancing economic and trade relations for the mutual benefit of the two countries. Pakistan has maintained a delicate balance since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has emphasised for the early resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. Follow our Facebook group for the latest updates on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Yuliia Kleban remembers waking up to a message from her manager on Feb. 24, 2022, telling her Russia had started invading her country.
A few minutes later, Kleban heard air-raid sirens go off in Lviv, the Ukrainian city where she used to live.
“It was a hard day,” she said in a recent interview. “I started packing an emergency backpack. I started checking whether I can go in a walking distance to some shelter.”
Kleban is among the more than 150,000 Ukrainians who made their way to Canada under a special program announced after the conflict began.
As the war enters a second year, many of those newcomers are assessing whether they should focus on establishing a life in Canada, hope to return to Ukraine one day, or move to another country entirely.
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For Kleban, Canada holds the most appeal right now.
“For my future and for my family … for my future kids, it is better to be in a safer country,” she said. “Because in Ukraine we will always end up having a neighbour to the east that wants Ukrainians not to exist in this world.”
The 37-year-old said she decided to apply to come to Canada to stay with extended family in Barrie, Ont., when Ottawa announced its special visa program for Ukrainians last March.
Yuliia Kleban, from Ukraine, poses for a photograph near her work in Toronto on Wednesday, February 8, 2023. Kleban along with other Ukrainian refugees are living in Canada as the first anniversary of the Russian war nears.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
She spent about two months in the Czech Republic and four months in the United kingdom waiting for her Canadian visa before arriving in September. Her 40-year-old husband couldn’t accompany her because of Ukraine’s general mobilization law that bars men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country.
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Kleban, who was the director of an IT and business analytics program at the Ukrainian Catholic University, said she moved to Toronto about two months ago to work as project manager for a program that helps Ukrainian newcomers find jobs.
While she feels safe in Canada, she worries about loved ones in Ukraine.
“Everybody is very supportive and tries to use empathy as much as they can to understand the circumstances for Ukrainians now, the war that is continuing still.”
Ihor Michalchyshyn, the executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress _ a non-profit umbrella organization of Ukrainian Canadian organizations _ said Ukrainian newcomers are trying to figure out what path might work best for them in the future.
“People are looking to understand their options,” he said.
“As people fled a year ago, they thought they would be able to go back in a couple of weeks and then it turned into a couple of months and now it’s a year, right? And so I think none of us know.”
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Ukrainian Railways proves unstoppable during Russia’s war
Michalchyshyn said Ukrainians in Canada will be gathering for vigils, marches and demonstrations on Friday evening to mark the first anniversary of the war.
The war has had a huge effect on the Ukrainian Canadian community as many of its members, including those who have been in Canada for decades, still have family in Ukraine, he said.
“Most of us have some family connections, direct family connections or have been to Ukraine and understand it, been there, seen it, touched it,” Michalchyshyn said. “It’s shocking to see … the tremendous violence by Russian invading forces on civilians.”
Almost 1.4 million people, or four per cent of Canada’s population, said at least one of their ethnic origins is Ukrainian in the 2016 census.
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Ukrainian Canadians have donated more than $50 million to help people in Ukraine, Michalchyshyn said, and have also worked hard to help settle Ukrainian newcomers who have fled the war.
“We’re seeing more and more people who are arriving. They don’t know anybody, they don’t know anything about Canada,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to find child care in Canada for everybody. It’s very difficult to find affordable housing for everybody in Canada, so they are facing those same challenges as well.”
Volunteer group helping Ukrainian refugees makes plea for host families
The federal government has offered a temporary visa for Ukrainians fleeing the war and a three-year work permit, along with one-time payment of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child and a two-week hotel stay for those who need it.
Immigration Department spokesman Stuart Isherwood said Ottawa is working closely with provinces, territories and municipalities to support Ukrainian newcomers.
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Ukrainians arriving under the temporary visa, as well as Ukrainian temporary residents who were in Canada when the war broke out, have access to settlement services typically only available to permanent residents, Isherwood said. Ottawa also launched an online portal for Canadian businesses to offer high-priority goods and services to support Ukrainians and organizations providing aid in Canada, he said.
“We will also continue working with settlement organizations and (non-governmental organizations) across the country to support Ukrainians and their family members before, during and after their arrival in Canada,” he said.
“(The Immigration Department) is continuing to assess how our immigration programs can best support Ukrainian nationals now and in the future, including potential new pathways to permanent residence.”
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