Russian climber living in Edmonton fundraising to help Ukrainians amid invasion
CBC
For Konstantin Stoletov, a cancer researcher at the University of Alberta and a climber, his identity as a Russian was always tied to the country's history of eradicating fascism during the Second World War.
But it all changed on Feb. 24, when Russia launched an invasion on Ukraine.
"I lost my identity," Stoletov told CBC's Edmonton AM on Tuesday. During the Second World War, his grandparents fought against Nazis. But now, his home country was now among the fascists, he said.
To help the Ukrainian people, Stoletov reached out to the climbing community in Edmonton and Alberta in early March to raise money to help people get out of Chernihiv, a city in northern Ukraine.
He has since managed to raise $20,000 and said his efforts have helped around 3,000 people in Ukraine.
"I think I can retire now, because my life is complete," he said.
Being an avid climber — Stoletov even helped develop climbing areas in Nordegg and Jasper — he knew he could count on the climbing community, where he has made the most connections, to help with his fundraising efforts.
LISTEN | Konstantin Stoletov talks about his fundraising efforts:
It was a week into the beginning of the war that a Ukrainian climber friend he met in California reached out to him from Mississauga, Ont., asking him for help.
She knew people who were trying to escape Chernihiv. It was not under occupation but was surrounded by the Russian army.
"We used our funds first, then basically ran out of the funds. I said that maybe I can fundraise," Stoletov said.
He started a Facebook fundraiser first but the company wouldn't release funds right away which is why he started asking people to contribute money via e-transfer or PayPal.
Besides helping people evacuate, the fundraising effort has also provided people with money and food. And, with the help of a company in Estonia, ambulances have been sent to Ukraine.
Stoletov says he has been staunchly opposed to the Russian regime ever since its invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014. He said his position has cost him relationships with some family and friends.
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