'I pray for this to end peacefully': Ukrainian Canadians on edge
Volodymyr Vorobets has immense worries on his shoulders.
The London, Ont. resident, who grew up in Ukraine, fears rising tensions between his homeland and Russia may draw his nephew into a war.
“My oldest brother has a 24-year-old son that could be drawn at any time to go and fight, so they are, of course, worried.”
Vorobets, the president of the London Ukrainian Centre, says the city’s large Ukrainian community is on edge.
“We are extremely concerned and worried about of friends, families and fellow Ukrainians.”
While Russia denies it is planning an invasion, Vorobets says if one comes, Ukrainians are ready to resist.
“Ukraine will fight back. They are ready to fight and will fight with whatever they've got. People are ready to fight with sticks and stones if that happens.”
Erika Simpson, an associate professor and NATO researcher at Western University, concurs.
“You do not want to get into a long-term guerrilla war against Ukrainian resisters, 'cause Ukrainians are going to resist. It would be a bloody war, and it would be long.”
Simpson does not believe war is imminent, even though she calls the situation a “crisis."
She argues Russian President Vladimir Putin is posturing, for now.
“I don’t think there will be a land war, nor an attack by Russia. If there was, it would be in August or September, not in the winter.”
That, Simpson says, leaves at least six months for a possible diplomatic solution.
Still, she worries about an 'accidental war,' saying, “If we start sending more troops and more and more equipment, like the Baltic countries are doing, then maybe we’ll get a war by escalation, accidental escalation.”
Vorobets shares the same fears as he hopes for a resolution that ensures ensuring the safety of all.
“I pray for this to end peacefully...I truly hope that common sense and humanity will prevail and we will survive this. If something goes bad there, the whole world will be affected.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'