Rally for Ukraine in Regina brings out hundreds

Pavlo Pantus is amazed by all the support he’s seen from Canadians over the past few days.

“I have no words to describe this. Canadians have been so supportive,” Pantus said. “Everybody has tried to talk to me and see if I’m feeling well.

“To see this big crowd here, it is phenomenal. All over Canada, we see these big crowds and it definitely shows support and definitely brings attention to the war there.”

Originally from Ukraine, Pantus was one of the hundreds of people who were at a rally for Ukraine outside of the Legislative Building in Regina on Thursday evening.

He came to live in Canada about 11 years ago but still has family and friends in his home country.

“When the war started last week, it was very heartbreaking. I didn’t sleep for two days straight — I was very worried for my family,” Pantus said. “I was stressed out, my parents were stressed out and I just started asking questions: ‘How are you guys? Have you guys been hurt or anything?’ ”

He said his hometown, Ivano-Frankivsk, was bombed by Russian forces the first night.

“My parents were OK, but they were very worried and my mom was super stressed out (and) my brother and his family were very stressed out,” Pantus said. “I’m 24/7 on-call with them now in case something happens.”

Lavinia Dusyk was born in Regina but is of Ukrainian heritage. She has plenty of loved ones in the European country.

“The support that has been shown around the world for my native homeland has just been amazing and we have to do the same here,” Dusyk said. “I know it doesn’t directly help the people who are experiencing the bombing and the carnage but it’s what we can do to show support and maybe other people will join in.”

She said she has been emotionally exhausted over the past few days seeing what was going on in Ukraine.

“(Wednesday) I couldn’t do anything in the afternoon other than cry. I guess it all just came to me and I had to stop watching the news because I had to compartmentalize it,” Dusyk said.

According to Dusyk, her friends and family were safe until recently, but now the sound of sirens fills their region.

“I am now more concerned for my family but I am mostly angry at (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, who is doing this unnecessarily,” she said.

“I think he is jealous of Ukraine. He has this huge country but he wants Ukraine. I’m thinking he is jealous and wants to destroy the Ukrainian people and this is how he is doing it. But he’s not going to. Ukraine will stand for itself.”