'Lots of screaming, crying': Mother of two describes harrowing escape from war-torn Ukraine

A Ukrainian-Canadian woman is starting over in B.C. after fleeing the Russian invasion, embarking on a harrowing journey with her two young sons and the family dog.

Anya Kholodnytskay has lived in Ukraine for the last six years, and says she was grateful to arrive back in Canada on March 26.

“I’m very happy to be back,” said Kholodnytskaya, alongside Tomas, six, and Timothy, seven.

“I know that they’re safe, at least.”

Kholodnytskaya says she decided to leave her home in Vinnytsia when the air raid sirens started to become louder and more frequent. With little time in the middle of the night, Anya says she packed a few bags and rushed to the nearest train station.

“We were told there’s no spots, and we started crying,” said Anya, fighting back tears.

Anya says a few police officers managed to help get the family onto a packed train.

“[There were] lots of screaming, crying, people were under a lot of stress,” said Anya, recalling the scene of the train departure.

After a near 20- hour journey, hopping on and off multiple trains from Vinnytsia to Budapest, Kholodnytskaya her boys, and her pet were able to find a flight back to Vancouver.

Anya’s husband, however, remains in Ukraine as men aged 18-60 are banned from leaving the country. Anya says her husband was working in a different city than her when the war broke out, and they haven’t communicated since late February.

“I try and search,” said Anya. “I know we’ll find each other eventually.”

For now, friends have set Anya up with temporary housing until the end of April. Her family’s future, however, remains uncertain.

“I don’t know what to do,” she told CTV News Vancouver.

She recently applied for financial and housing support through Service Canada and is currently searching for schools for her children.

And Kholodnytskaya is just one of the thousands of displaced Ukrainians now in need of support.

“We expect around 20-25,000 Ukrainians in Vancouver over the next couple of months,” said Svitlana Kominko, co-founder of the Maple of Hope Foundation. “I don’t think we’re going to have enough resources to meet the growing demand.”

Despite her recent traumatic experience, Anya is thankful for the community support and hopeful for a fresh start and a reunion with her husband.

“Seeing friends and relatives here made me realize how much I miss Vancouver,” said Anya. “I hope that my husband can join us soon.”