Saskatoon women continue to provide support in Ukraine

A little over four months after war broke out in Ukraine, a woman originally from Saskatoon has found herself doing whatever it takes to help people in need.

Lana Niland, who has lived in Ukraine for many years, started a non-profit organization called Ukrainian Patriot.

The group has volunteers who work on the front lines of the war, providing aid to people in the middle of the conflict.

“We’re doing really good things,” she said. “We’re an international team, we’ve been able to get our hands on a number of vehicles as well so we’ve got drivers who are able to move things around.

“We’re doing evacuations outside of hotspots while also bringing aid in. It really is a full-time job as we stay on top of everything as best as we can, it’s amazing actually what happens when we all work together.”

Niland said the team of volunteers is aware of how long the fight could last and they are dedicated to what they are doing.

“We are plugged into providing protective gear, medical and humanitarian aid, et cetera, we are doing our best to make sure that the people here on the ground caught in the crossfire are as well looked after as possible,” she said.

“We’re so excited to be working with anybody who’s still paying attention to what’s happening here.”

Niland isn’t the only Saskatoon woman involved in the project.

Tanya Baran is an oncology nurse at the Royal University Hospital and is a third-generation Canadian-Ukrainian who’s now finding herself in Ukraine providing aid.

“It started off with me just doing some research on medical supplies and what we could do and what we could get our hands on. Then within a few conversations, I made the decision to purchase a plane ticket,” Baran said.

She was based in Kyiv but travelled to the Donetsk region and other areas, ending up around 40 kilometres from the front lines. She can’t give exact locations for her own safety and that of other volunteers.

When she initially made the decision to go to Ukraine in early May, she only told a few people, mainly because she didn’t want them to worry about her.

“They were scared of my safety and what I may see or do or feel while I’m there, and I didn’t want to concern anybody,” Baran said. “While I was there, I didn’t want myself or family getting messages wanting to know where I am (and) what I’m doing.

“We try to keep phone, texting or any communication to a minimum just so nothing can be tracked. We want to keep the radios silent, you could say.”