'We need to continue our education': refugee students in Montreal on rebuilding Ukraine
Air raid sirens echoed through the streets of Old Montreal Saturday — a chilling reminder of home for Anastasiia Soshenko, a newly arrived Ukrainian refugee.
“It’s very difficult for us, very difficult for our family,” said Soshenko, who spoke to CTV News while attending Montreal’s weekly demonstration against the war.
“My family stayed in Kharkiv, and I’m really so nervous about them.”
Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, has suffered heavy bombardment by Russian forces. On Friday, nine civilians were killed and more than 50 injured in a neighbourhood shelling, Ukrainian officials reported.
Many of Kharkiv’s residents, including Soshenko, have fled the region. Her parents stayed behind; she says her father was injured by a bombing and is in the hospital back home.
Soshenko is among four students who landed in Montreal earlier this week after obtaining emergency travel visas to Canada. All four are continuing their studies in communications.
“We are very thankful to the University of Montreal because of this opportunity to study and be there,” said Soshenko.
Student Maryna Krennikova was overwhelmed by the welcome she received, but hopes Canada can work even more quickly to help those stuck in Ukraine.
“I’m really grateful for all the people here, for their support. However, they don’t understand the situation [because] they weren’t there,” she said, adding that there’s no time to spare when it comes to bringing more refugees in.
“We can’t wait,” she said. “Each second, it’s really important. We can’t wait for four days for an answer from the university or from an immigration officer.”
When asked about her plans, Krennikova’s answer was clear: to return home when the war is over and help rebuild Ukraine.
“We need to continue our education, to be intelligent, to have some experience — and then when we return to Ukraine, we can develop our city, our everything, our country.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.