Ukrainian students at B.C. school reflect on 2 years of war back home

Ukrainian teenager Bohdan Rozlach came to Canada two weeks ago.

When war broke out nearly two years ago, his community in northern Ukraine was on the front lines of the conflict.

“We lived in a very small town,” said Rozlach. “It was bombed really badly."

As the Russian army entered the community, Rozlach and his family fled.

“It was really scary,” said the Grade 10 student.

He is one of seven students now attending school at Brookes Westshore in Colwood. All have lost at least one member of their family during the conflict.

“They have come from all over Ukraine and they have all been personally affected by the war,” said Linda Bayes, diploma program coordinator at Brookes Westshore.

Each one of them is now here on a three-year scholarship.

“It’s such a great opportunity to study and live in Canada,” said Bohdan Rubets, another Brookes Westshore student.

Rubets arrived in October from the capital city of Kyiv. He says the past two years of war have been a nightmare.

“People are dying, cities are being destroyed,” said Rubets. “It’s very sad.”

“The war seems to be grinding on and it seems to be grinding on inexorably,” said Dr. Ken Christie, director of the School Humanitarian Studies at Royal Roads University.

Christie says a peaceful resolution to the two-year war is unlikely anytime soon.

“The reason is that I think both of these parties have entrenched positions,” said Christie. “Ukraine I don’t think is ever going to give up. I’m not sure what it is going to take for Russia to give up unless they run out of resources."

Meanwhile, a new Angus Reid survey found Canadian support of Ukraine’s war effort is beginning to wane.

One-in-four respondents said Canada is doing too much to support Ukraine. That’s nearly double the number who said this after Russia first invaded in 2022.

“It’s not going to end soon,” said Ivan Dobrovavenko, another Brookes Westshore student from Ukraine.

The thoughts of the seven students are always focused on the war back home and their families safety.

They have three years left at Brookes Westshore before graduating. It’s hoped by then the conflict will be over and the country is rebuilding.

“I want to return to Ukraine,” said Dobrovavenko.