Calgary's Ukrainian community holds rally in response to dam destruction
Calgary's Ukrainian community held an emergency rally on Tuesday night in response to the destruction of a dam in southern Ukraine.
More than 100 people gathered at Poppy Plaza, lining up along Memorial Drive N.W., holding up signs and Ukrainian flags.
They could be heard chanting and singing their country's national anthem as cars passed by, many of them honking in support.
Ukraine and Russia are blaming each other for blowing up the Nova Kakhovka Dam, which sits on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Villagers have been forced to flee as the water encroaches on a sizeable piece of land.
Anastasiia Haiduchenko moved to Calgary a year ago to flee the war, but her parents and two grandmothers stayed in their hometown of Kherson, which is near the dam.
She says she first heard the news from her husband, who is from Nova Kakhovka, on Monday night.
"I was like, 'No, that's not true. That's impossible. They're still people, like they understand what's going to happen, hundreds, thousands of lives will be taken,'" Haiduchenko said.
"All night I spent on the phone with my family … I want this world to hear what's happening there. I want people to understand that Russia is a terrorist state. I'm not going to mind my words."
Haiduchenko says her family and friends have been helping evacuate people who live by the river.
She says she's trying to help however she can from Calgary and appreciates the opportunity to gather with other Ukrainians at rallies like this.
"I feel like I'm not alone in this and my family, we're not left alone with all this tragedy," Haiduchenko said.
More than 100 people gathered at Poppy Plaza, lining up along Memorial Drive N.W., holding up signs and Ukrainian flags.
Narhiza Musaieva, a rally organizer, says she worries for her father, who is in Zaporizhzhia and will face issues with drinking water as a result of the dam's destruction.
She also worries for her friends, who were in the area that had to be evacuated.
"They were really scared. They were lucky to be able to evacuate because they had relatives in other parts of Ukraine, but not everyone is that lucky," Musaieva said.
"When something like this happens, usually it's the community who reaches out with the hope that we can do something, have some impact because it's really hard just sitting at home or at work doing nothing and just watching our country struggle."
Rally participants are calling for Canada and its allies to designate the Russian Federation as a state supporter of terrorism, to continue giving Ukraine the weapons it needs, and to stop trade with Russia.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
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.
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.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.