Members of the Pembina Valley Ukrainian community gathered in Morden Saturday afternoon to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war in their homeland.
Stand with Ukraine rally organizer Yevgeniya Tatarenko noted that as difficult as the last two years have been, the Russian aggression goes back even further.
“It’s a reminder that it has been not just two years but it’s 10 years of war aggression in Ukraine … so we came here with the flags and the portraits of our friends who died,” she said. “We came here to remind the world that war is not over and Ukraine deserves and needs our support. Each of us, we can make a difference for Ukraine.”
Tatarenko noted how much they appreciate the support shown by the Government of Canada and that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Ukraine for the anniversary last week.
“The situation is even worse than at the beginning of the war, so Ukraine needs more support,” she stressed. “What we hear is it’s worsening and we don’t know what to expect … we hope that Ukraine will win, but we have a lot of concerns … we shouldn’t lose hope.”
Tatarenko also noted the opening of a special photography exhibit which was unveiled last weekend at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. There are plans being made to have the 21 pieces tour to a number of communities in southern Manitoba in the months ahead, including Morden.
