Latest news with #UkrainianHeritage
CBC
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Saskatoon volunteer honours 2 dead Sask. men at memorial in war-torn Ukraine
Social Sharing As the war in Ukraine rages on, one Saskatoon building maintenance worker is in Kyiv helping residents rebuild. Nick Bettin is not the first Saskatoon resident to leave the safety of Canada for the war embattled country. But he is the first to plant Canadian flags in Independence Square in Kyiv to commemorate two Saskatchewan men who died defending Ukraine against Russia. Bettin is working as a volunteer, clearing debris and repairing buildings. This is his second trip to Kyiv. He said he felt compelled to "jump into the deep end," in part because of his Ukrainian heritage, but also because of the suffering and devastation in the country. "Something just clicked one day," he said. "I fix things for a living. So maybe I can go fix things in Ukraine." Bettin's first trip to Ukraine's capital was in 2024. "There was a lot of holes in buildings, tank traps and bunkers everywhere, which obviously I'd never seen in my life before," Bettin said. "But when I did my research before I came last year, I talked to other volunteers, one woman from Canada actually, and they warned me about it. So it didn't come as a surprise." Now in his second stint as a volunteer, he felt compelled to honour Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the war against Russia. He did so at a "make-shift" memorial in Independence Square in the centre of Kyiv. "Essentially there's a flag planted for every soldier that's deceased and there are a surprising amount of foreign flags there," Bettin said. Two Saskatchewan men who died serving as volunteers in Ukraine's International Legion will be posthumously awarded the Ukrainian Canadian Sacrifice Medal by Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada (UWVA). The men served as volunteers and "gave their lives for Ukraine's freedom," according to the UCC. Bettin was moved by this, and sent the UCC his offer to plant Canadian flags for the men. Love for foreign volunteers, soldiers Bettin planted multiple flags with words of love for the two brave Saskatchewan men in Independence Square. Soldier Joseph Hildebrand, from Gouldtown, was killed in action at age 33 on Nov. 6, 2022, near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region in east Ukraine. Winton "Bud" Hardy, of Outlook volunteered as a combat medic providing assistance to Ukraine's soldiers on the front lines, according to the UCC. The 41-year-old was killed in June 2024, also in the Donetsk region. Bettin asked their families in Canada what they wanted written on the flags and covered the flags with those words. "I have a lot of respect for the foreign fighters especially, not to say everyone else isn't brave, but the foreign fighters are choosing to leave stability and safety and comfort to come lay their life down, basically, for the Ukrainians," Bettin said. He said that despite Russian missiles and drones continuously causing destruction, Ukrainians still have to go about their daily duties. That, Bettin said, is why Ukrainians deeply value foreign workers. "We get a lot of appreciation. It's heartwarming actually," Bettin said. "No matter how much the locals want to help, they still have to go to work and go to their day jobs and pay bills. Whereas when a foreigner comes in, we came here for the purpose of helping. We're free all week to do what needs doing." Bettin is putting his construction skills to use daily. "We're boarding windows at a school. It seemed the drone targeted an electrical transformer and the blast wave knocked out windows in a large school. So yeah, the job I worked on was just boarding the windows until new permanent ones come in." More help needed Bettin encourages Canadians to help in any way they can, including writing to the media asking for more coverage on the war in Ukraine. "Write to our politicians asking for more support to Ukraine," Bettin said. "And come here. If you can handle it, if you have the skills in construction, if you have the funds to do so, come help." Bettin will return to his wife and children in mid-August, after spending a month volunteering in Ukraine.
BBC News
19-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Exeter Ukrainian school providing 'community and friends'
Ukrainian refugee children are being taught about their homeland's heritage at a school in has been set up by the Devon Ukrainian Association to give children aged between six and 12 who have fled the war in their country against Russia the chance to learn about their native culture and association said the sessions, held on Saturdays, also helped pupils work towards their Ukrainian school leavers' exams and integrate into the UK education teacher Oksana Kryviak said said the school was set up because parents wanted their children to maintain links to their home country's identity. Ms Kryviak said children who had come to the UK from Ukraine were starting to speak a lot more English than their mother added the school also allowed the children to come together regularly."Of course they have a lot of English friends, but it's important to have Ukrainian friends too," Ms Kryviak said. Anastasiia Kuznetsova, whose seven-year-old daughter attends the school, said it was providing a great service."My daughter loves it because she has here not only study - she has community and friends," she said."It's important for me also because we are Ukrainians, but our children now speak more English than our native language."But we always will be Ukrainians because we can't become somebody else."
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Video shows 'guests' at Disneyland Paris wedding rehearsal ahead of 'fake' marriage of 'scared and confused' nine-year-old Ukrainian girl to a British man in his 20s before his arrest
Eerie footage of an alleged 'wedding' between a 22-year-old Brit and nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris has been shared. The fairy-tale Sleeping Beauty castle was the backdrop for the £111,000 'social media' stunt, accompanied with musicians, a cake and chairs for hundreds of guests. The popular tourist attraction was hired out before it was open to the public early on Saturday morning but were not aware the event was allegedly being held for a minor. Around 100 seated guests were waiting for the ceremony to start as a female violin trio played at dawn before a stage strewn with flowers. A French broadcaster, BFM, shared the weird footage , as well as an image of a pink ribbon bracelet that read 'Margo & Jack 21st June 2025'. The Brit was arrested after park staff were shocked to see the 'scared and confused' child turn up for the event wearing what was said to be a bridal dress and four-inch heels taped to her feet, according to French newspaper Le Parisien. Her mother, who is believed to be of Ukrainian heritage and was later arrested, had reportedly said she wanted her daughter to feel like a Disney 'princess' for the day, according to DW. The girl is said to have been carried around because she could not walk in the extravagant costume. Alongside her family, 200 adult guests and 100 children aged five to 15 had been hired online for what was bizarrely advertised as a 'chic and elegant' 'rehearsal' wedding, Le Parisien reported. They were allegedly paid €200 and had to 'enter the room, sit down, stand up, applaud, and participate naturally and elegantly in this event filmed in a festive and classy atmosphere'. But organisers had booked the park for a function they said would be a genuine wedding ceremony. Police arrived on scene and took the man into custody along with the girl's 41-year-old mother. The 'groom' - who the mother allegedly said was a 'friend' - later told police the aim had been to make a video for social media. A statement issued by the prosecutor's office in the nearby town of Meaux said: 'Four people were arrested and questioned: the groom, who was believed to be the organiser of the event and is presumed to be British and aged 22; the mother of the child, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman; and two Latvian nationals aged 55 and 24.' The 55-year-old has claimed he was recruited to play the role of the bride's father for 12,000 euros but discovered last minute she was nine years old, local news reports. The prosecutor's statement added 'police custody of the British suspect and a Latvian national was also extended on charges of fraud and money laundering'. Disneyland Paris was reportedly deceived about the nature of the event, with the organiser assuming the 'identity of a Latvian national' and using 'false documents to secure the conclusion of the contract for privatising the park', BFM TV reports. The event costs the organisers $130,000 (£111,000), BFM added. However, Le Parisien reported that the man had presented himself 'as a future Irish groom living in Germany'. They highlighted that filming at Disneyland Paris is strictly forbidden and so 'the man may have devised this subterfuge to obtain images of the park'. Disneyland Paris told Le Parisien the event was immediately shut down by its team and that guests were stopped from entering the premises. The prosecutor's office confirmed today that a criminal investigation has opened. Circumstances around the wedding remain unclear, but a medical examination of the young girl found she had not suffered any violence, the prosecutor's office said. Officials added they were not ruling out that the event may have been a prank, with the guests attending as possible 'extras'. The groom had said that he was the director of a production company and they were shooting a video, a police source later told Le Parisien. A source who claimed to have been a wedding guest told Le Parisien: 'We all thought we were going to attend a wedding... Everyone was stunned, no one expected it. Disneyland did things very well. 'They cancelled everything as soon as they realized the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that.' The extras said they had been driven from central Paris on buses at 5am and handed pink bracelets with the names of the 'bride and groom' printed on them. 'Guests' were told filming was to remain strictly confidential - white chairs, a large cake, musicians and a castle were in place to make the ceremony look realistic, BFM reports. One extra, named Yeleen, who attended the ceremony with her daughter, said: 'I saw a little girl dressed in white. I saw her hair prepared with curls and a lady picking her up in her arms. 'At that moment, I was shocked. I realised when I saw the child. It was atrocious.' The prosecutor's office later explained: 'So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. They privatized Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding.' The prosecution has charged the two suspects with 'fraud and breach of trust' against Disneyland Paris. They will both be brought before the Meaux judicial court today as part of the opening of a judicial investigation.
CTV News
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Ukrainian community celebrates culture with food and performance in Calgary southeast
Calgarians of Ukrainian descent share the sights, sounds of food with their fellow Calgarians. Calgary's Ukrainian community is celebrating their culture and sharing it with this city this weekend at the Arcadia Recreation Centre in the southeast. The festival features two stages -- a Kyiv stage and a Lviv stage -- offering live music, dance and other cultural performances. There's plenty of food too, including borscht, varenyky (stuffed dumplings), and sweets. Calgary Ukraine Festival 2025 The Calgary Ukrainain Festival at the Arcadia Recreational Centre in the southeast (Darren Wright, CTV Calgary) There's also a Ukrainian marketplace, a kid zone and a photo zone. Jordan Biss, the vice-chair of the festival, said the festival was more necessary than ever, given the ongoing horror of the war with Russia. '(It's) absolutely crucial,' Biss said, 'and it makes me very proud to help support the Ukrainian community especially with the ongoing atrocious war in Ukraine. 'This really provides an opportunity for new Ukrainians to Calgary and to Canada an opportunity to connect and network with community members of like-mindedness and hopefully get them engaged in the community -- but as well, to share our culture and heritage with local Calgarians.' The festival is at 240 90 Ave. S.E. until 6 p.m. With files from CTV's Darren Wright
CTV News
18-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Local Ukrainian community celebrates Vyshyvanka Day
The Ukrainian community in Barrie held their third annual 'Vyshyvanka' festival, celebrating the international day of Ukrainian heritage.
