Ukrainians in B.C. mark one year of brutal war with Russia

An estimated 11,000 Ukrainian refugees have settled in B.C. since the war broke out. Dozens of them have found a new life working at a Vancouver restaurant.

One year after Russia launched a brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainians in British Columbia are trying to settle into a new life while managing fear for their friends and family back home.

An estimated 11,000 Ukrainian refugees have settled in B.C. since the war broke out.

Dozens of them, like Olga Osadets, have found work at Kozak Ukranian Restaurant in Metro Vancouver.

Osadets fled Odessa with her son in April and started at Kozak as a dishwasher. She’s now an assistant manager, general manager Alex Surinov said, translating for Global News.

“When she flew to Canada, she didn’t know at all like if she going to find a job but the only point in why she chose Canada was because she wants to find a better way for her son to live — to live in peace,” he translated.

The restaurant is operated by husband and wife Sergiy Kuznietsov and Iryna Karpenko, who opened it nearly a decade ago after immigrating in 2012.

Since the war started, the pair have hired 42 Ukrainian refugees, and keep a list of others for when positions open.

“Everything from dishes to manager. Every imaginable role in the restaurant industry, you name it, you have a team member from Ukraine,” Kuznietsov said.