As Russia launched another wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine overnight, members of Niagara's Ukrainian community came together Saturday for a festival that has taken on much deeper meaning over the past four years.
The Niagara Ukrainian Family Festival is being held this weekend at Firemen's Park in Niagara Falls, turning a corner of the city into a celebration of Ukrainian culture. But more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion, many who attended say the event has become about more than heritage — it is also about standing together while loved ones remain in danger overseas.
'They need to prepare for the long run'
Overnight attacks killed at least six people and injured dozens more, according to Ukrainian officials cited in a report by CHCH. Cities including Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa and Kharkiv were targeted as emergency crews searched through rubble, CHCH reported.
Volodymyr Paslavskyi, whose brother was forced to leave the family home in Kharkiv and has since relocated to western Ukraine, said the neighbourhood his brother left behind is no longer liveable.
"He left his house in Kharkiv — that part of the city is now unliveable," Paslavskyi told CHCH.
Paslavskyi said a prolonged conflict will take a growing toll on those still in the country.
"The longer the war continues, the harder it will be," Paslavskyi told CHCH. "They need to be ready for that. This is not a short run, thus they need to prepare for the long run."
Checking in from thousands of kilometres away
For many at the festival, the headlines are not abstract. They are a reason to pick up the phone and confirm that relatives are safe.
Iryna Kolotylo's sister still lives in Kyiv, and her district was struck in the latest wave of attacks.
"Actually, our area was attacked," Kolotylo told CHCH. "The apartment building just in front was ruined from the second to the fifth floor — completely destroyed. And it's like the first time our area is attacked. So every time I'm checking in with my sister if she's okay, if she's alive. If she's answering, that's good."
Despite the worry, the festival remains a place of resilience — a spot to keep Ukrainian culture alive and pass traditions on to the next generation.
Hannah Baran, a second-generation Ukrainian, said her grandmother's family members still in the Ukraine have shown remarkable endurance.
"My baba's family still in Ukraine are really like warriors," Baran told CHCH. "They're able to persevere through anything. They're able to live the lives that we are here, but in Ukraine, while the war is going on and while their lives are being threatened every day."
Festival continues Sunday
For organizers, the gathering carries a message that extends well beyond Niagara. Iryna Lohazyak, a festival organizer, said unity among Ukrainians matters now more than ever.
"Ukrainians try to stay together," Lohazyak told CHCH. "It doesn't matter where we stay — we stay together. It's very important. It's a message for the whole world."
The Niagara Ukrainian Family Festival continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Firemen's Park in Niagara Falls.
Attendees said that until peace returns, the festival will remain more than a celebration of heritage — a reminder that even thousands of kilometres from home, Ukraine is never far from their hearts.
