Ukrainian newcomers in the Bow Valley inspired by Zelenskyy's visit to G7 Summit
Olha Kulybanych looks up at Canmore's iconic Three Sisters mountain range towering over the Alberta town and said while it's stunning — her heart aches for another peak: Hoverla Mountain back home in Ukraine.
'We are grateful for Canada and for Bow Valley to have us and to help us and support us, but I'm not ready yet to call it home,' she said.
Kulybanych moved to Banff three years ago, not long after she got a phone call from her father in Ukraine.
'He just called me and said, 'You are not coming to Ukraine until this war ends, but I'm going to fight,'' she said.
'He didn't have to fight, but he said that he cannot look the young men in the eye, so he made his decision and we had to find peace with that,' she paused with tears in her eyes.
Story continues below advertisement
Nine months later, her father was killed during an attack in Donetsk. He was just 55 years old.
'There are easy days, happy days merged together with sadness and just despair — trying to find happiness in life,' Kulybanych said.
View image in full screen
Olha Kulybanych and her father on her wedding day back in Ukraine. Supplied
Kulybanych is part of a growing community of Ukrainians who have found refuge in Alberta's Bow Valley area, to the west of Calgary in the Rocky Mountains.
Svitlana Stasenko and her teenage daughter also arrive in Canada three years ago.
'Seems to me, my life just stopped,' said Stasenko, who was an accountant for a large company in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. She's now working as a cleaner and at a grocery store in Canmore.
Story continues below advertisement
Her husband, a university professor, stayed behind to fight for their country. He's been on the frontlines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
View image in full screen
Svitlana Stasenko with her husband and daughter back in Ukraine. Supplied
Stasenko said her husband can't always tell his family where he is for safety and security reasons, so he sometimes sends smile emojis to let them know he's ok.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Stasenko arrived in Canada when her daughter was 12 and she said she feels sadness over the moments and milestones her husband doesn't get to witness.
'I see how she's growing up and I feel very sad that my husband can't see it, my mother can't see it,' she said, wiping away the tears.
They are safe but the emotional toll can be grueling, while daily life grinds on. Stasenko said they feel stuck, on hold as they await the next update from back home.
Story continues below advertisement
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited to the Bow Valley at the G7 Summit on Tuesday, just down the highway from Canmore in Kananaskis Country.
'Knowing that he's close to the same place where I live it's inspiring, it brings hope,' said Kulybanych. 'We support our president, we're hopeful that he will find a way to communicate with other leaders.'
'We need more sanctions, more weapons to Ukraine to be able to protect ourselves, the system that can protect from the shelling that is continuing to happen,' she added, making reference to a defence systems such as Israel's Iron Dome, that can detect and intercept incoming projectiles.
'Like, look at the last two weeks.'
Tweet This
Click to share quote on Twitter: "Like, look at the last two weeks."
Overnight into Tuesday, officials say a Russian missile and drone bombardment killed at least 15 people and injured 156 others in Ukraine, with the main barrage demolishing a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv.
View image in full screen
Residents react after a Russian missile hit a multi-storey apartment during Russia's combined missile and drone air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Efrem Lukatsky/ AP Photo
It was the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year and came as two rounds of direct peace talks have failed to make progress on ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Story continues below advertisement
The city's military administration said 14 people were killed and 138 others were injured in the capital as explosions echoed for hours.
Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles, Zelenskyy said, calling the Kyiv attack 'one of the most terrifying strikes' on the capital.
View image in full screen
A Russian drone attacks a building during Russia's massive missile and drone air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Efrem Lukatsky/ AP Photo
Russia has repeatedly hit civilian areas of Ukraine with missiles and drones, and the United Nations says the attacks have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians.
Russia has in recent months stepped up its aerial attacks. It launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine on June 10 in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the war. Russia also pounded Kyiv on April 24, killing 12 people.
Ukrainian forces have hit back against Russia with their own domestically produced long-range drones.
Story continues below advertisement
The Russian military said it downed 203 Ukrainian drones over 10 Russian regions between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Uncertainty about U.S. policy on the war has fueled doubts about how much help Kyiv can count on.
View image in full screen
Residents react after a Russian missile hit a multi-storey apartment during Russia's massive missile and drone air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Efrem Lukatsky/ AP Photo
Zelenskyy had been set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G7 summit Tuesday to press him for more help.
Zelenskyy is seeking to prevent Ukraine from being sidelined in international diplomacy. Trump said earlier this month it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace, but European leaders have urged him to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into accepting a ceasefire.
However, their meeting never happened — Trump returned early to Washington on Monday night because of tensions in the Middle East.
Story continues below advertisement
2:56
Trump leaves G7 summit early due to Israel-Iran conflict
Canada, however, rolled out a list of commitments at the G7.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced new sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet and energy revenues, as well an additional $2 billion in new funding for Kyiv for drones, ammunition, and armored vehicles.
He called the latest attack 'barbarism by Russia' that underscores the importance of standing in solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
'To be absolutely clear, the support will be unwavering until we get a just peace for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,' Carney said on Tuesday.
1:59
Canada pledges $4.3B in support to Ukraine
It's a glimmer of hope to so many who dream of returning back to what is left of their homes and their families.
Story continues below advertisement
Kulybanych helped start a Bow Valley chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Association. She's vowing to carry own the legacy of her heroic father.
'To keep fighting, fighting for Ukraine like he did.'
Tweet This
Click to share quote on Twitter: "To keep fighting, fighting for Ukraine like he did."
— With files from Samya Kullab And Vasilisa Stepanenko, The Canadian Press, along with reports from Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jill Lawless and Rob Gillies in Kananaskis, Brian Melley in London and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
10 hours ago
- Global News
Ukrainian newcomers in the Bow Valley inspired by Zelenskyy's visit to G7 Summit
Olha Kulybanych looks up at Canmore's iconic Three Sisters mountain range towering over the Alberta town and said while it's stunning — her heart aches for another peak: Hoverla Mountain back home in Ukraine. 'We are grateful for Canada and for Bow Valley to have us and to help us and support us, but I'm not ready yet to call it home,' she said. Kulybanych moved to Banff three years ago, not long after she got a phone call from her father in Ukraine. 'He just called me and said, 'You are not coming to Ukraine until this war ends, but I'm going to fight,'' she said. 'He didn't have to fight, but he said that he cannot look the young men in the eye, so he made his decision and we had to find peace with that,' she paused with tears in her eyes. Story continues below advertisement Nine months later, her father was killed during an attack in Donetsk. He was just 55 years old. 'There are easy days, happy days merged together with sadness and just despair — trying to find happiness in life,' Kulybanych said. View image in full screen Olha Kulybanych and her father on her wedding day back in Ukraine. Supplied Kulybanych is part of a growing community of Ukrainians who have found refuge in Alberta's Bow Valley area, to the west of Calgary in the Rocky Mountains. Svitlana Stasenko and her teenage daughter also arrive in Canada three years ago. 'Seems to me, my life just stopped,' said Stasenko, who was an accountant for a large company in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. She's now working as a cleaner and at a grocery store in Canmore. Story continues below advertisement Her husband, a university professor, stayed behind to fight for their country. He's been on the frontlines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. View image in full screen Svitlana Stasenko with her husband and daughter back in Ukraine. Supplied Stasenko said her husband can't always tell his family where he is for safety and security reasons, so he sometimes sends smile emojis to let them know he's ok. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Stasenko arrived in Canada when her daughter was 12 and she said she feels sadness over the moments and milestones her husband doesn't get to witness. 'I see how she's growing up and I feel very sad that my husband can't see it, my mother can't see it,' she said, wiping away the tears. They are safe but the emotional toll can be grueling, while daily life grinds on. Stasenko said they feel stuck, on hold as they await the next update from back home. Story continues below advertisement Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited to the Bow Valley at the G7 Summit on Tuesday, just down the highway from Canmore in Kananaskis Country. 'Knowing that he's close to the same place where I live it's inspiring, it brings hope,' said Kulybanych. 'We support our president, we're hopeful that he will find a way to communicate with other leaders.' 'We need more sanctions, more weapons to Ukraine to be able to protect ourselves, the system that can protect from the shelling that is continuing to happen,' she added, making reference to a defence systems such as Israel's Iron Dome, that can detect and intercept incoming projectiles. 'Like, look at the last two weeks.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Like, look at the last two weeks." Overnight into Tuesday, officials say a Russian missile and drone bombardment killed at least 15 people and injured 156 others in Ukraine, with the main barrage demolishing a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv. View image in full screen Residents react after a Russian missile hit a multi-storey apartment during Russia's combined missile and drone air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Efrem Lukatsky/ AP Photo It was the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year and came as two rounds of direct peace talks have failed to make progress on ending the war, now in its fourth year. Story continues below advertisement The city's military administration said 14 people were killed and 138 others were injured in the capital as explosions echoed for hours. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles, Zelenskyy said, calling the Kyiv attack 'one of the most terrifying strikes' on the capital. View image in full screen A Russian drone attacks a building during Russia's massive missile and drone air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Efrem Lukatsky/ AP Photo Russia has repeatedly hit civilian areas of Ukraine with missiles and drones, and the United Nations says the attacks have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians. Russia has in recent months stepped up its aerial attacks. It launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine on June 10 in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the war. Russia also pounded Kyiv on April 24, killing 12 people. Ukrainian forces have hit back against Russia with their own domestically produced long-range drones. Story continues below advertisement The Russian military said it downed 203 Ukrainian drones over 10 Russian regions between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Uncertainty about U.S. policy on the war has fueled doubts about how much help Kyiv can count on. View image in full screen Residents react after a Russian missile hit a multi-storey apartment during Russia's massive missile and drone air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Efrem Lukatsky/ AP Photo Zelenskyy had been set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G7 summit Tuesday to press him for more help. Zelenskyy is seeking to prevent Ukraine from being sidelined in international diplomacy. Trump said earlier this month it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace, but European leaders have urged him to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into accepting a ceasefire. However, their meeting never happened — Trump returned early to Washington on Monday night because of tensions in the Middle East. Story continues below advertisement 2:56 Trump leaves G7 summit early due to Israel-Iran conflict Canada, however, rolled out a list of commitments at the G7. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced new sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet and energy revenues, as well an additional $2 billion in new funding for Kyiv for drones, ammunition, and armored vehicles. He called the latest attack 'barbarism by Russia' that underscores the importance of standing in solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. 'To be absolutely clear, the support will be unwavering until we get a just peace for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,' Carney said on Tuesday. 1:59 Canada pledges $4.3B in support to Ukraine It's a glimmer of hope to so many who dream of returning back to what is left of their homes and their families. Story continues below advertisement Kulybanych helped start a Bow Valley chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Association. She's vowing to carry own the legacy of her heroic father. 'To keep fighting, fighting for Ukraine like he did.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "To keep fighting, fighting for Ukraine like he did." — With files from Samya Kullab And Vasilisa Stepanenko, The Canadian Press, along with reports from Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jill Lawless and Rob Gillies in Kananaskis, Brian Melley in London and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Air India crash investigators study black boxes to find cause
Investigators in India are studying the black boxes of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner after recovering them from the aircraft wreckage to ascertain the cause of last week's plane crash that left at least 270 people dead. The black boxes will provide cockpit conversations and data related to the plane's engine and control settings to investigators and help them in determining the cause of the crash. The London-bound Air India aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed on a medical college hostel soon after taking off from the western city of Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, while 241 people on board and 29 on the ground were killed in one of India's worst aviation disaster in decades. Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the U.K., the U.S. and officials from Boeing. Story continues below advertisement Black box data is crucial Amit Singh, a former pilot and an aviation expert, said the recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, or black boxes, are crucial to piece together the sequence of events. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The cockpit voice recorder records pilots' conversation, emergency alarms and any distress signal made before a crash. The plane's digital flight data recorder stores information related to engine and control settings. Both devices are designed to survive a crash. 'The data will reveal everything,' Singh said, adding that the technical details could be corroborated by the cockpit voice recorder that would help investigators know of any communication between air traffic control and the pilots. 2:57 Distraught families bid final farewell to sons and daughters lost in Air India crash India's aviation regulatory body has said the aircraft made a mayday call before the crash. Story continues below advertisement Singh said the investigating authorities will scan CCTV footage of the nearby area and speak with witnesses to get to the root cause of the crash. Additionally, Singh said, the investigators will also study the pilot training records, total load of the aircraft, thrust issues related to the plane's engine, as well as its worthiness in terms of past performances and any previously reported issues. Investigation into the crash could take time Aurobindo Handa, former director general of India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, said the investigators across the world follow a standard UN-prescribed Manual of Accident Investigation, also called 'DOC 9756,' which outlines detailed procedures to arrive at the most probable cause of a crash. Handa said the investigation into last week's crash would likely be a long process as the aircraft was badly charred. He added that ascertaining the condition of the black boxes recovered from the crash site was vital as the heat generated from the crash could be possibly higher than the bearable threshold of the device. Story continues below advertisement The Indian government has set up a separate, high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash and formulate procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future. The committee is expected to file a preliminary report within three months. Authorities have also begun inspecting and carrying out additional maintenance and checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to prevent any future incident. Air India has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet. The plane that crashed was 12 years old. Boeing planes have been plagued by safety issues on other types of aircraft. There are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation, according to experts.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Sask. NDP raise concerns over lack of pilots trained to fly new water bomber
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook The Saskatchewan NDP says according to public flight logs, the recently-purchased Conair Dash 8-Q400AT Airtanker has been sitting at the La Ronge airport since May 30, 2025, and no pilots have been trained to fly it. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says they had pilots in training, but because of the intense fire season, they needed to stop to help on the front lines. Global's Nicole Healey has the full story in the video above.
