Latest news with #Stefanchuk
Global News
05-08-2025
- Global News
Safety paramount while on the water, Lifesaving Society says after 2 Manitoba drownings
Two separate drownings in Manitoba over the long weekend mean water safety is top of mind again for many across the province. Manitoba RCMP said two men drowned at Reynolds Ponds and Grand Beach and Lifesaving Society Manitoba is urging beachgoers to stay safe in light of the tragedies. 'Your heart kind of breaks for them — they're families that wanted to go out and have a good long weekend and enjoy the summer,' the society's executive director, Lynne Stefanchuk, told 680 CJOB's The Start. 'It's really not what we want to see.' One of the victims, a 25-year-old Winnipeg man who drowned at Grand Beach, was using what police described as a 'pool flotation device' on Lake Winnipeg when he fell into the water and didn't resurface. Story continues below advertisement Stefanchuk said she encourages Manitobans to save their floaties for backyard pools and wear a life-jacket instead while out on large bodies of water. 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 'We've seen a bit of an increase in the use of flotation devices over the last 10 years. They get pretty elaborate — they can get really big, and it is paramount that you think about safety when you're going out on the lake,' she said. 'The design and structure of (life-jackets) has changed over the years. They're comfortable, it's not going to be restrictive of your movement. 'I think folks assume they're going to be OK (without one) and the problem with that is when you need it and you don't know where it is or you don't have it with you, it's not going to help you.' Stefanchuk said to make sure your life-jacket fits you correctly and keep it handy at your cabin or bring it with you to the lake every time you go out.
France 24
20-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Putin can't have a veto on Ukraine's EU membership: Parliament speaker Stefanchuk
Summing up his official visit to France, Stefanchuk says: 'I came with words of gratitude to the French people for the active support that we have been receiving. But also I came with words of request, a request that we need to continue this fight together, together with our friends all over the world, including Europe and France. I came with the words that what is extremely needed now in Ukraine, is the air defence system. This issue is connected with providing Ukraine more weapons to make sure that we can withstand this attack.' Stefanchuk elaborates; 'Let's be completely honest. War is a horrible math. Ukraine today is protecting the eastern flank of NATO from Russia's assault. And we are paying a terrible price for this. We're paying with the lives of our best sons and daughters. War includes the financial component, the military component and, unfortunately, the human component. And we must understand that, in order to win this war, we need to have all these components filled in. And of course, we are going to work with our partners to make sure that if we have less financial support (from the US), we'll be asking Europe to increase its support for Ukraine.' Stefanchuk adds that he also came to France to discuss the issue of frozen Russian assets, and 'legal solutions' to unlocking the assets. Many EU governments – including France – do not want to set an international legal precedent by fully using the assets. But Stefanchuk argues that if this is not done, a different kind of precedent will be set. 'We must find the mechanism to make sure that the one who violates the law is made accountable for these violations,' he states. 'If this is not done, then in the near future, anyone who has the strength, the power, and has no conscience, will do whatever they like, knowing that their assets are guaranteed. No! We must create the precedent according to which every criminal must know that they will pay for war with their money.' We turn to Ukraine's EU accession process, which has run into Hungarian opposition, despite the European Commission saying that Ukraine has 'done its homework' in three negotiating clusters. 'Ukraine, despite the war, is fulfilling all its obligations to the European Union. We adopt the laws, we carry out reforms. We are not asking for some excuses for Ukraine, for some simplified track,' Stefanchuk asserts. 'We honestly take our path, but we are also counting on the same kind of honesty from our European partners. And we want to make sure that Hungary is not a country that is Putin's veto on Ukraine's accession to the EU. Putin is not an EU member. He has no right of veto in the EU. This, I believe, is becoming a big threat for all the countries of the European Union, for all the NATO countries, because Putin is using some countries to block the alliance decisions. So this is a huge challenge.' Stefanchuk is adamant there is 'no backtracking at all' on anti-corruption reforms, despite the country slipping slightly in Transparency International's last Corruption Perceptions Index (2024). 'The situation has changed', Stefanchuk remarks. 'The Ukraine of 2025 is a different country from the Ukraine of 2005. Today we can hold top officials accountable, demonstrating to others that the fight against corruption is irreversible in our country. For example, the ex-head of the Supreme Court received a suspicion, and a couple of ministers received this notification of suspicion. That's the first time ever in the history of Ukraine. Ukraine's President Zelensky, the prime minister, and I, we all have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption.' Many countries were deeply concerned about Israel's attack on Iran on June 13. But Stefanchuk reminds viewers that 'Iran's Shahed drones terrorise Ukrainians every night. Of course, the weaker Iran and North Korea are, and the weaker Russia is, the better it is for us. The less peaceful citizens will suffer and the less Ukrainian infrastructure will suffer, the closer we will be to our common victory.'
Russia Today
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ex-Ukraine PM predicts Zelensky will flee country
Vladimir Zelensky will resign and leave Ukraine, former Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov has predicted, citing what he described as a US-backed effort to remove the country's leader. In a post on Telegram on Sunday, Azarov suggested that the decision to remove Zelensky from power 'has already been made in the US' and that Washington has given the 'go-ahead' for his ouster. He wrote that although the Ukrainian leader has support in Europe, it is unlikely to change anything and will 'hardly help' him. Azarov, who served as prime minister under ousted President Viktor Yanukovich, predicted that Zelensky would eventually step down, given that his mandate officially expired last year. He would then be replaced by parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, who would serve as acting president and begin shaping 'a new political landscape' in Ukraine. 'I don't think Zelensky will remain in Ukraine after this,' Azarov said. 'He will request protection, most likely from special forces, but they will not make such sacrifices for him. The options for his future may vary,' he added. Last week, Azarov made a similar prediction and alleged that the United States had 'written off' Zelensky and was orchestrating a multi-stage process to force him out. He referred to the recent arrest of Leonid Mindich – described as a financial associate of both Zelensky and presidential chief of staff Andrey Yermak – as evidence of this effort. Azarov emphasized that the arrest was carried out not by the Prosecutor General's Office, but by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office – institutions he described as 'created by the US, staffed by the US, and reporting only to the Americans.' 'This is a serious signal that the process of removing Zelensky has begun,' Azarov wrote, suggesting that if Zelensky does not step down voluntarily, he will be 'forced out.' He also claimed that US auditors had recently arrived in Kiev to examine the use of American taxpayer funds – a move he attributed to instructions from the White House. Zelensky's five-year term officially expired on May 20, 2024, and no election has been held due to martial law, which has been repeatedly extended. Moscow maintains that Zelensky has no legitimacy as the leader of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the Russian government has said it is open to negotiating with the current Kiev administration but warned that Zelensky's status could be an obstacle to signing any peace agreement. Russian officials have raised concern that documents endorsed by an illegitimate president could be legally contested by his successor.
Winnipeg Free Press
03-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Friends mourn mother of two who drowned in Whiteshell
The victim of a drowning in Whiteshell Provincial Park on Saturday has been identified as a mother of two. The 38-year-old died after she slipped on rocks and fell into the water at Sturgeon Falls near Nutimik Lake on Saturday afternoon, RCMP said. Friends have identified the victim as Harpreet Kaur Girn. One described the loss as 'the toughest and unimaginable time' of Girn's family's life. GOFUNDME Harpreet Kaur Girn, 38, a mother of two drowned in the Whiteshell on Saturday. 'No one is ever ready to (lose their) family member, same goes for two little kids waiting for their (mom),' reads the friend's GoFundMe fundraiser for Girn's loved ones, created on the weekend. 'They don't even realize that their mom who went to the waterfall and was with them until few hours ago will never return back now.' The fundraiser said her parents are in shock, while many of her friends are 'inconsolable.' 'It all ended with a sudden slip that drew her into water and ended many (lives) not just hers,' said the fundraiser, which was created for her husband and children. Lifesaving Society Manitoba's executive director, Lynne Stefanchuk, described the woman's death as a tragedy. 'Our hearts just break for the family,' said Stefanchuk. 'You never want to see someone's life taken suddenly like that.' Stefanchuk warned the public to take precautions, as the summer begins and people flock to swim and spend time near bodies of water. 'You never know what might happen, so be as prepared as possible is really what we encourage people to do,' she said, adding that can include wearing a life jacket in or near the water, keeping kids close and abstaining from alcohol when boating or swimming. 'You never want to have to think about hindsight,' said Stefanchuk. She encouraged everyone, particularly people new to Canada, to take basic swimming lessons. 'Those basic safety lessons can make the difference when it finally comes down to it, if something should happen,' said Stefanchuk. Whitemouth RCMP were called to the area of the falls at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, where bystanders told them the water's strong current pulled Girn into the lake. A conservation officer in a boat was later able to find her in Nutimik Lake. She was taken to hospital and pronounced dead, RCMP said Monday. The drowning is not the first time a person has died at Sturgeon Falls, about 125 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg and 20 kilometres from the Ontario border. Accessible by a hiking trail, the falls are located on a narrow section of fast and deep water between Nutimik and Numao lakes on the Winnipeg River system. Rough water conditions, including surfing waves, have made the site a popular draw for experienced kayakers, while also creating safety concerns. A 12-year-old boy from Winnipeg, Usaid Habib, slipped into the water while climbing down the rocks on May 27, 2023. A bystander jumped into the water to try to save him, but could not get him to shore. RCMP recovered the boy's body two days later. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. In mid-May 2017, former Kenora police chief Dan Jorgensen died in a kayaking incident near the falls, after his boat overturned in rough waters at the base of the rapids. He was en route to Gimli on the Winnipeg River at the time. The trail to Sturgeon Falls was not open to the public Saturday, amid the province's mandatory evacuation of parts of the Whiteshell due to wildfires, though the campground at Nutimik Lake had reopened Friday. Elsewhere in Manitoba this year, a 20-year-old man drowned at the Pinawa Dam Provincial Heritage Park. The man slipped on wet rocks at the top of a small waterfall at the dam and fell into the water on the evening of May 4, RCMP said. His body was found the following day. Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik. Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Around 20 Ukrainian MPs have served in military, including on front line, Ukrainian parliament's speaker says
Around 20 MPs from the Ukrainian parliament's ninth convocation have taken part in military service, with some having served directly on the front line. Source: Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), in an interview with Ukrinform Quote: "About 20 MPs of the current convocation have been involved in military service in one form or another. When people say 'you go to war', we have people who are already fighting or have fought, including on the front line." Details: Stefanchuk noted that some MPs from the previous convocation had been killed in the war and their names are now commemorated on memorial plaques on the walls of the parliament. He added that many members of the parliamentary staff were also drafted, and one of them was killed; his name has likewise been immortalised. Quote: "Parliament is a cross-section of society, and it is equally involved in decision-making as it is in direct combat. I sincerely believe that this parliament will soon transform from a parliament of war into a parliament of a victorious country. I want our victory very much, as does our entire society, and I hope it will happen." Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
