A tale of 2 families: Ukrainians reflect on journey to Sask., 1 year after Russian invasion

Alina Kostenko awoke shortly before 5 a.m. to the sound of an explosion.

She roused her husband, Oleksandr, who tried assuring her it was just a thunderstorm — which doesn't usually occur in Kyiv in February.

"About five minutes later, we said, 'Let's go,'" Alina said.

Friday marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The office of the United Nations high commissioner for human rights reports more than 21,000 civilians have so far been killed or injured during the conflict, although the actual number of casualties is believed to be much higher. War crimes have allegedly been committed.

Millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes for safety. More than 5.3 million Ukrainians were internally displaced as of Jan. 23, and there were more than eight million Ukrainian refugees across Europe as of Tuesday, according to data from the United Nations high commissioner for refugees.

In Canada, almost 167,600 Ukrainian citizens and Canadian permanent residents of Ukrainian origin had arrived by land or air as of Sunday, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Saskatchewan, meanwhile, has welcomed more than 3,200 Ukrainians throughout the province in the past year, according to a spokesperson for the provincial Ministry of Trade and Export Development.

Among them are the Kostenko and Ternovsky families. Each experienced different journeys to Saskatchewan, but there is one clear similarity — a year ago, neither imagined they'd be here.

Back in Kyiv, on Feb. 24, 2022, Alina and Oleksandr Kostenko leaped out of bed, packed suitcases, woke their two children, loaded their vehicle and left their apartment.

The city, split by the massive Dnipro River, has several bridges connecting one side to the other. The Kostenkos lived near one of them, Oleksandr explained, so the priority was to cross to the other side as soon as possible and stay at his parents' house.

Getting stuck was a possibility, Alina said. If the city's water reservoirs were destroyed, half of Kyiv would flood.

Outside, sirens rang. Driving through the streets, they saw long lines at gas stations and stores.

The family was able to cross the bridge, but the next several days were "very hard," Alina said. Tanks arrived and weaponry was transported through the city. Occasionally there were explosions.