Calgary Ukrainian community fears for friends and family as Russian invasion looms

At her home in northwest Calgary, Oxana Dawid flips the channels, monitoring events unfolding in Ukraine.

She’s got relatives and friends who still live there and as Russian President Vladimir Putin inches closer to all out war, her anxiety grows.

“I worry about their safety and safety of, the elderly, and the kids, and all the young ones (who) are  ready to go and fight.  Who's going to take care of them” said Dawid. “A big war  in the  centre of European … a  big country with big army and nuclear weapons and ambitions to restore this big Soviet Union empire is, it's a scary prospect."

On Monday, Putin announced his country would officially recognize two breakaway regions in Ukraine – Donetsk and Luhansk – in a move that could have wider implications as Russia is poised to invade.

Putin justified his decision in a pre-recorded speech in which he blamed NATO for the current crisis, calling it an existential threat to Russia.

Putin also claimed Ukraine had inherited Russia's historic lands and since the Soviet collapse, the country has been used by the West as a barrier to Russian growth and prosperity.

Canada has committed some special forces to the area, as well as money and weapons to aid Ukraine in a possible conflict. 

Oxana Dawid worries for friends and family living in Ukraine under threat of invasion by Russia.

Prime Minster Justin Trudeau reiterated Monday that western democracies are committed to assisting Ukraine in resisting Russian forces

“As our allies, as the Americans, as Canada, as European allies have been clear, any violation of Ukraine’s current territorial integrity will be seen as a violation by Russia of some founding principles of the UN, and of the rule of law as we practise it around the world,” said Trudeau

Rob Huebert, a professor of military and strategic studies at the University of Calgary warns an invasion and war in Ukraine will effect the entire world.

He likens the geopolitical situation right now to the events that led to the Second World War.

“We can fully expect that he will seize that territory. And it will be setting up for I suspect, a total conquest to Ukraine, either in the days to come, or in the subsequent time period,” said Huebert.

“I think we can clearly see that we are set moving into an international system. Now there's so much more at risk. Just as 1938, when the German actions in Czechoslovakia set the stage for both the activities of the Italians and the Japanese.”

Huebert warns a war in Ukraine could escalate to a nuclear conflict.

“We see the Russians exercising their nuclear tactical weapons right now as we speak," he said.

“So that  a misstep today has ramifications that are, in fact, very horrifying in terms of the possibility of seeing the use of tactical nuclear weapons, because there's no way of controlling that once one side happens. And so, we are in an incredibly dangerous environment.”