Some Russians in Sask. disavow their country's invasion of Ukraine
‘Stop the war,’ says Russian living in Saskatoon
Saskatoon resident Oleg Kougiya has a clear message. "Stop the war."
He calls Russia's invasion of Ukraine — which is now in its 13th day — "the worst thing that I could imagine between the countries."
Kougiya was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has been in Canada since 2007, and is an administrator for the Saskatoon Russian Folk Centre. His parents and brother are also here in Saskatoon, while his wife's family is in Russia.
The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine has deepened as Russian forces intensified their shelling and food, water, heat and medicine grew increasingly scarce. The United Nations refugee agency says 1.7 million people have now fled Ukraine.
Kougiya has Ukrainian friends in Saskatchewan.
"The people that came from the ex-Soviet Union are the best people in the world. They have the biggest heart in the world," Kougiya said in an interview with CBC News.
He said that so far, his friendships haven't been fractured, but it's something he worries about.
"I'm standing here just to keep it," he said.
Kougiya, along with his wife, two daughters and brother, were among hundreds who attended a Support Ukraine Now rally outside of city hall in late February.
He said he hopes people can differentiate between ordinary Russian citizens and President Vladimir Putin's regime.
"Because 99 per cent of Russian people … they're not responsible for this tragedy," Kougiya said.
He understands why Ukranians in Ukraine may not have sympathies for Russians.
"It's easier for me to call for people to be united standing here [in Saskatchewan]," he said. "But when people are in the middle of the war zone, when they're getting bombed every day, they're not going to have much sympathy left."
Mixed emotions
Kougiya has been experiencing a whirlwind of emotions about his home country.
"I was born in Russia. My thoughts are very divided now. I want the war to stop right now, at all costs," he said. "But at the same time, all my thoughts are with my friends, with my wife's family, with all the good people in Russia that are going to struggle for a lot of time."
Western sanctions have crippled Russia's economy and sent the value of its currency tumbling. On Monday, Canada announced a further round of sanctions against 10 Russian individuals.
"It's an absolutely devastating feeling, not to be ashamed of my motherland, but just to be ashamed of the consequences that the government and the regime [are] imposing on the whole world now," Kougiya said.
"That's not the country I love. That's not the country I was born and raised in."
Gennadiy Chernov is another Saskatchewan resident from Russia who is against the war. He has lived in Regina for 16 years and is an associate professor in the faculty of journalism at the University of Regina.
He said he was in shock for several days when Russia began its invasion.
"My daily activities, my work, other stuff I do, were paralyzed in a sense," Chernov told CBC News on Monday.
Chernov said he has been informing people in Regina of the humanitarian aid that Ukranians need.
He said he has also been drawing attention to the thousands of people who have been detained at protests across Russia against Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from the Associated Press and Thomson Reuters