Maryna Shkarupa welcomes her mother and niece from Ukraine at the Saskatoon airport on Friday. Shown left to right, Maryna's children Evelina (back), Steve, and Diana, Maryna's mom Uliana Kavitska, Maryna Shkarupa, and Maryna's niece Kateryna Derevianko. (Submitted photo/Vitaliy Shkarupa)

By Angela Brown

Escaping war in Ukraine

Another family from Ukraine welcomed in Battlefords

Apr 18, 2022 | 3:14 PM

Another Battlefords family recently welcomed relatives from Ukraine escaping the ongoing attacks in their home country.

Maryna Shkarupa, originally from Ukraine, helped her mother, Uliana Kavitska, and niece, Kateryna Derevianko, 16, come to Canada from Ukraine. After weeks of preparations, they finally arrived at the airport in Saskatoon on Friday after leaving from Poland.

“It was exciting for us,” Shkarupa said. “It was a really long stretch for them, more than 24 hours for the whole trip. It was a big shock, lots of crying, lots of hugs. We couldn’t wait to see them.”

Kavitska and Derevianko were living in Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine before fleeing. Shkarupa’s sister Ludmyla Derevianko, Kateryna’s mother, wanted to stay in Ukraine because her husband and son, 22, are still there. But Ludmyla hoped for a better life for her daughter, so wanted her to come to Canada to be with Shkarupa. As well, Shkarupa’s mother came too, to be safe.

Shkarupa said the border cities in Ukraine are seeing the most violence, while her family’s town, Kryvyi Rih, is still about 90 kilometres away from places where the attacks are occurring.

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“Even in my town where my sister is still, they have lots of refugees from those high intensity areas,” Shkarupa said. “So there are a lot of volunteers working to help the people who need it the most.”

Shkarupa’s niece and mother, who are currently in quarantine as a COVID-19 precaution, are staying with her in North Battleford.

When they left Ukraine, her mother just had a small carry-on case, while her niece had only a backpack. They first stayed with friends in Poland for a little over a month, waiting for their travel documents to be prepared before coming to Canada.

Shkarupa thanks the Battlefords Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and her friends and colleagues for the many donations the family received to make the transition for Kateryna and Kavitska to their new life easier.

“Now I have all the furniture and clothes for them,” Shkarupa said. “I have everything.”

Shkarupa’s niece and mother are relieved to be away from the stresses in their home country now that they are here.

“She [Kateryna] said she is so happy and excited to be in Canada, and to meet again with us,” Shkarupa said.

“The first night I said now you can relax,” Shkarupa said. “Before, all those nights, I couldn’t sleep. I always checked my phone if there were any changes. So we all slept good last night.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow