Shown are: Liudmyla Shomina, left, and her daughter Olga in the first photo; and, left to right, sons Oleksandr and Stanislav, Olga, her husband Levgen (back), and son Daniil in the second photo. (Submitted photos)

By Angela Brown

Go Fund Me support

Family from Ukraine arrives safely in Battlefords

Apr 11, 2022 | 2:26 PM

A GoFundMe fundraiser helped a family escaping war torn Ukraine come to Canada and settle in the Battlefords.

Michael Waschuk spoke to battlefordsNOW on behalf of his friend, Liudmyla Shomina, a Ukrainian woman living in North Battleford, who was successful in bringing her daughter Olga Liushukova, son-in-law Levgen Liushukov and their three children here from Ukraine.

Shomina, who works locally at the Discovery Co-op, is glad to have her family safe and together again.

Liushukova and her family arrived in the Battlefords April 5 after landing in Calgary the day prior. In their efforts to find safety after escaping Ukraine, they first travelled to Moldova and then Romania before leaving for Canada. They are currently staying with Shomina.

In her translated letter, Liushukova said “it is impossible to forget the morning of February 24, when you wake up to the sounds of explosions,” when Russia first attacked Ukraine.

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“In an hour we collected a few things. At that time the priority was food and warm [clothing], all loaded into our little car,” she said. “We went out of town to the village of Utkovka to our friends. The distance we usually cover in 20 minutes takes four hours.”

Liushukova added there were huge queues at gas stations, and traffic jams on the roads amidst the sound of explosions, with many checkpoints controlled by armed soldiers.

She thanked her mother’s friends Mike and Carolyn Waschuk, who offered to help create a fundraiser account for them, and everyone else who gave their support to help them escape.

“Our family thanks all the caring people who responded to our request for help. We will never forget what you did for us…,” Liushukova said. “Very special thanks to Rob Rongve, Chizuru Kishida‐Nelson and all the rest of the people and businesses who generously donated to this cause… Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!”

Waschuk said it was a highly stressful time for the family leaving Ukraine. They will next be adjusting to their new life here, and will be learning English.

“They are sleeping lots,” he added. “They are alright. They have been through a lot.”

The GoFundMe page raised $6,777 as of Monday. Many donations were also given for the family directly, bringing the total raised up to about $11,000 to date. Waschuk’s friend Rob Rongve also helped collect donations.

Waschuk said Liushukova’s family appreciates all the support from the community and beyond to help cover their flights and other costs to resettle here.

“They are here now and they are happy,” he said, adding that the flights were costly so the funds were appreciated.

Waschuk said Liushukova related that about 80 per cent of the city of Kharkiv, where they were living in Ukraine, has been destroyed from attacks.

He added Shomina was stressed and worried watching the news of the war in Ukraine, hoping her family would make it out unharmed.

“It’s great to have them here,” Waschuk said.

The family are currently in quarantine, as a COVID-19 precaution.

Waschuk said he is glad to see so many Battlefords people stepping up to welcome families escaping Ukraine.

“If we have the opportunity to bring in people we should, to help them out,” he said.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow