'It's still quite hard emotionally': Ukrainian newcomers reflect on first anniversary of Russian invasion

Friday marked one year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The war has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions of Ukrainians displaced, including more than 160,000 now living in Canada.

Several Ukrainian newcomers told CTV News that they're feeling mixed emotions reflecting on the anniversary. While they're happy to be safe and in peace in Vancouver, they also feel guilt knowing their loved ones are still back home.

Kristina Synytsya, a Ukrainian photography student in Vancouver, still vividly remembers when the first Russian missiles hit Kyiv.

“Although I’m on a different continent now, it still feels like I’m back there," she said, adding that the images are burned in her memories.

“The sounds of rockets and other weapons. It was quite hard, emotionally, to look at all these videos and photos and social media because you know all those people and you can actually see what they went through and you remember the time when you did it yourself," she continued.

Many others say they're grappling with survivors' guilt.

"It’s a split reality because you cannot believe in whatever is happening back home because otherwise you’ll go crazy and everything is so smooth and good here and it’s – life is casual – and then you talk to your family back home and their normal is very different from ours," said acting student Kateryna Khozroshyna.

“I mean, I’m safe. I’m OK. But I’m far from my country. I feel wrong," said Masha Maslennekova, another acting student.

She and dozens of other students from Ukraine moved to Vancouver last year to begin their one-year program at Vancouver Institute of Media Arts on full-tuition scholarships.

They say it was the right choice for them to leave and learn a new skill instead of sitting in bomb shelters hoping for the end of war, but being away from family is difficult.

“It’s like the most difficult thing. You don’t know when it ends," said student Yevheniia Humeniuk.

"You’re watching the news all day and you understand that it’s not going away. Probably not going to happen this year," she continued.

Finding strength in numbers, the community planned to rally together Friday night to honour those who died and are displaced.

“If Russia is permitted to defeat, to somehow win this war, they won’t stop at the Ukrainian border," said Eugene Lupynis, a member of the Ukrainian Community Society of Ivan Franko.

"The people of the world need to realize that Ukraine is fighting a battle for democracy and for all of us. Even though we're a world away here in Vancouver, a world away in North America, the war will affect all of us at some point in time, and the sooner that Ukraine can be victorious, the sooner we can get back to normality in the world," he added.

Eleven vigils were planned Friday night across the province, including one in Vancouver at Library Square, but more are set to take place over the weekend in support of the Ukrainian army, and to serve as a reminder that the war isn't over.