As war in their homeland drags on, Kamloops’ Ukrainian population now faced with growing misinformation

“You should have ended it. You should have never started it,” added Trump.

Neither statement from Trump is backed by the facts, with Russia the aggressor and invading force, and the Ukrainian constitution not allowing elections during war time. But nevertheless, it means Ukraine faces new hurdles as its people continue to fight the war in the trenches and now, too, on social media.

“It might take people of United States to recognize whom they elect to represent their country on the world stage. And what it means to the world now to recognize that the United States now has a leader who doesn’t take into account history, does not know the idea of allyship, the idea of trade partners. What it means to have a leader who disrespects someone else who is fighting for their right to self-determination,” said Oleksandr Kondrashov, Stand with Ukraine Kamloops organizer.

Canada is home to the second largest diaspora of Ukrainians anywhere in the world. Father Andrzej Wasylinko stated those in Kamloops still wake up to the reality of the war every morning.

“But we trust in God’s love, mercy and support, care for us. And that is the strength for our nation,” said Wasylinko.

So-called peace talks are underway between Russia and the United States, but absent from the table is Ukraine, making true peace nearly impossible to obtain.

“This is a dangerous situation where President Trump, where he himself is endorsing this misinformation, and he is the one who is taking Russian talking points and endorsing them. And that has changed this. It’s a [180-degree] policy shift,” said Saira Bano, an assistant professor in the Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Philosophy, History and Politics.

That policy shift is not just a short-term change, but rather an alteration in the path of U.S. foreign policy that had been consistent since the end of World War II.

“This is truly unprecedented. It is shocking, the way the U.S. has abandoned it’s allies. Since the end of Second World War, the U.S. has built this system, its allies, its security guarantees. All of its European and democratic allies, U.S. has been linchpin of these security guarantees,” added Bano.

More than 1,000 days since the invasion, and 4,000 days since the annexation of Crimea, Kamloops continues to stand with Ukraine every weekend in front of City Hall.

“The hope is that one day, just peace will be in Ukraine. But like I said, nothing without Ukraine and about Ukraine without the people of Ukraine,” said Kondrashov.

by Michael Reeve

As war in their homeland drags on, Kamloops’ Ukrainian population now faced with growing misinformation

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