'Don't know if you're going to wake up:' Ukrainian in Montreal reflects on 2 years of war
Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, thousands of war refugees have made Montreal their home.
Refugees like Andrii Vietrohon, who left his hometown of Odesa to join in his mother in Quebec.
"I feel safe and secure here, and I feel my future [is] here," he told CTV News.
The 25-year-old works as a knitter, making hats and scarves during the day and attending French class at night.
"Je comprends un peu en français, and it's going okay," he said.
Vietrohon arrived in Montreal in December 2022 on a visitor's visa. The federal government has issued hundreds of thousands of them for Ukrainians who want to work or study in Canada while they wait for the war to end.
"My understanding is that there is over 220,000 in Canada, and about 10 per cent of that, or about 22,000, would be in Quebec," said Eugene Czolij, honorary consul of Ukraine in Montreal.
Czolij said that while most Ukrainians in Montreal are adapting to life here, a vast majority plan to return home -- especially families currently separated by the war.
"When I ask, 'What are your plans?' their immediate plans would be, 'We certainly would want to return back to Ukraine as soon as it becomes safe to return,'" he said.
But that's not everyone's plan.
Vietrohon is doing everything he can to get his permanent residency so that he doesn't have to go back to Ukraine.
"You don't know if you're going to wake up tomorrow. And living with the fear in your heart every day, and to wake up with that, I mean, it can ruin your whole day," he explained.
While Vietrohon forges his own path in Canada, he says the devastation in his home country weighs on him. His father and older brother still live there, and he calls them every day.
"That's my family. That's my blood," he said. "I wish I could see them, for example, tomorrow -- here. But it's only my wishes."
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is organizing a march in Montreal to mark the second anniversary of the invasion.
Hundreds are expected to gather in Phillips Square at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.5309015.1683576191!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
One person in hospital after falling from swing ride at Canada's Wonderland
One person has been hospitalized after falling from a swing ride at Canada's Wonderland.
Biden forcefully declares he's staying in re-election race in major news conference
U.S. President Joe Biden used his highly anticipated news conference Thursday to deliver a forceful defence of his foreign and domestic policies, and batted away questions about his ability to serve another four years even as he flubbed a reference to Donald Trump in one of his first answers.
'A terrible tragedy': 4 dead in another multiple-fatality B.C. crash
A crash in Keremeos, B.C., Wednesday morning is the latest in a string of fatal collisions, this time claiming the lives of four people, Mounties say.
Trudeau says he still has 'full confidence' in Freeland, but has been talking to Carney
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he continues to have 'full confidence' in Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, but he's also been talking to Mark Carney about entering federal politics.
'An avoidable tragedy': Calgary woman charged after dog dies in hot car
A Calgary woman is facing charges for the death of her dog, which died after being left in a hot car on Canada Day.
Oilers star engaged to marry girlfriend after proposal in Spain
Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl is engaged to be married. The 28-year-old centre proposed to his girlfriend, actor Celeste Desjardins, who said yes. Both posted about the engagement Thursday to their Instagram accounts.
Benji Gregory, former child star on the '80s sitcom 'ALF,' dies at 46
Former child actor Benji Gregory, who played the young boy on the 1980s television sitcom 'ALF,' has died in suburban Phoenix. He was 46.
At least 200 crocodiles crawl into cities as heavy rains hit northern Mexico, near Texas
Heavy rains associated with Hurricane Beryl and the earlier Tropical Storm Alberto have led at least 200 crocodiles to enter urban areas in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, across from Texas, state and federal authorities said this week.
Black bear 'wreaked havoc' on car after being locked inside, RCMP say
A black bear accidentally got locked in a car in Coquitlam Thursday, destroying the interior before being freed by police.