Today is Ukrainian Independence Day, a time for all Ukrainians to recognize and celebrate their culture and resilience in the face of the ongoing war.
This year it’s being marked as the future of Ukraine lies in the balance. U.S. President Donald Trump has hosted a series of summits with world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ostensibly to find a way to peace in Ukraine.
What the country might look like at the end of the process is currently up for debate.
Ukrainians who came to Newfoundland and Labrador following the Russian invasion three years ago are watching the developments closely.
Hanna Furs (submitted)
Hanna Furs came to Newfoundland with her son after spending a brief period in Italy. She works at a library, a job she says she loves.
She says Independence Day is about freedom.
“It’s about your heart, freedom of your soul, and it’s what Ukrainians are. We are free people. Nobody can tell us where we should live, what piece of country we should give someone.”
Sofia Dubyk
Sofia Dubyk, of Lviv is the creative director of the Ukrainian National Federation in Newfoundland and Labrador. She says the history of Ukraine is about fighting for independence and now that independence is uncertain.
“For me it’s about people, it’s about home, about people who keep altogether in Ukraine, and here.”
