'Absolute nightmare': Calgarians call attention to the children unable to leave Ukraine
A group of Calgarians gathered along Memorial Drive Sunday to draw attention to what they call "disgusting" treatment of Ukrainian children.
About 100 people attended a protest and short ceremony organized by the Calgary branch of the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress.
It comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches its first anniversary.
"We're here calling attention to the toll the war has had on Ukraine's children," Stephania Romaniuk told CTV News. "Those in the occupied territories are living through an absolute nightmare. There have been UN reports of rapes, deportations, executions and even children being tortured.
"Who's speaking for them?"
Earlier this month, the head of the United Nations refugee agency accused Moscow of illegally issuing passports to unaccompanied Ukrainian child refugees, with the intent of adopting them into Russian families.
Romaniuk says she doesn't want that to go unnoticed.
"The cost of this war on children is something a lot of people haven't realized the full stock of," she said.
The gathered group held signs and waved flags just north of the Bow River. Later in the afternoon, they congregated in Flyover Park to lay flowers and blue and yellow ribbons atop children's shoes.
They hope the footwear will serve as a visual reminder of the human toll of the invasion.
The UN estimates more than 400 Ukrainian children have been killed since last February.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.