An Orillia woman of Ukrainian descent is urging people to contribute to the humanitarian effort as Russia’s devastating attack on Ukraine continues.
Renata Dashawetz has family in the areas of Lviv and Mykolaiv. She has been keeping in touch with a cousin in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine that has been a target of Russian bombs since the invasion began in late February.
Her cousin is still living and working in that city, but she told Dashawetz, “When the bombing starts, we all run home.”
She and her family have been able to access food, but there are worries about Dashawetz’s cousin’s other family members.
She is “in tears” because her mother, sister and brother live on a farm in an area where Russian snipers are hiding in nearby fields, Dashawetz said.
“They have literally seen people shot just for leaving their house,” she said, adding there have been reports of people seeing dogs eating dead bodies. “I don’t even think we can fathom that.”
Dashawetz and her family came to Canada when she was five years old. During the Second World War, her parents were forced to go to Germany for slave labour. They remained there until United States troops moved in for the rescue.
Dashawetz was born in Germany, and her family moved to Belgium before heading to Canada.
She has always been proud of her Ukrainian heritage, and that sense of pride has only been strengthened since the Russian invasion began.
“I’m so proud of the young people in Ukraine. They are standing up to the tyranny and they are fighting it,” she said.
Still, the conflict has taken its toll on Dashawetz as she watches from afar.
“I find it very upsetting and distressing, especially since I do have family there,” she said. “I can’t even talk straight sometimes because of how upset I am.”
She wants to do whatever she can to help those suffering in Ukraine, which is why she is appealing for people to donate.
“They need help. They need a lot of help and food and everything. I feel so helpless,” she said. “This is some small way people can help.”
She suggests donations be made to the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation or the Red Cross.
