Two-and-a-half years on from Russian forces invading Ukraine – a war that continues today – and Highlands resident Jennifer Mykolyshyn is continuing to fight for her ancestorial home.
While her grandparents left Europe following the Second World War in search of a better life in Canada, Mykolyshyn has maintained close ties with Ukraine. She still has family there, forced into fighting for their freedom after Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated the years-long RussoUkrainian War in February 2022.
“I’ve been following this every day since,” Mykolyshyn recently told The Highlander.
Her cousin, in his 50s, left his adopted home in Italy within days of the invasion, returning to Ukraine to re-enlist in the military.
Mykolyshyn said she has a close bond with her cousin and regularly communicates over the phone and online. She visited Italy in 2017 and had organized a trip to Lviv with her far-away family before a combination of COVID-19 and the invasion scuppered plans.
She’s spent that money – and a little more – supporting her cousin, estimating she’s given between $10,000 and $12,000 for things like a generator, a military-grade radio, and other supplies over the past 18 months.
It wasn’t easy getting things over to Ukraine though, she recalls.
“Most people wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for this stuff, but you learn all sorts of new skills when your family is threatened,” Mykolyshyn said. “When the full-scale invasion happened, I realized I could buy this stuff, but I couldn’t ship it.”
She joined Twitter and got involved with the North Atlantic Fella Organization (NAFO) – an online movement dedicated to countering Russian propaganda and disinformation about the most recent war. There, she connected with volunteers based in Europe who found ways to move much-needed equipment over the border.
Mykolyshyn is at it again now – raising money to purchase a $4,700 pair of night vision goggles to send to her cousin. As of press time, she needs about $750.
“Ukraine always needs support. Governments are giving money, materials and weapons, but it’s not enough. The people on the frontlines are missing a lot of the things they need to keep them safe,” Mykolyshyn said. “The goggles will benefit my family member, but also the other guys in his unit.
“Things are getting very difficult over there. Sometimes you’ll hear of successes in the news, but Ukraine is losing territory as well as gaining territory every day,” she added.
Anyone who donates will be entered into a raffle, with the winner choosing between pieces of original art completed by Mykolyshyn or eight hours of custom design work. To donate, contact jmykolyshyn@ gmail.com.
After everything she’s seen, and the stories she’s heard from previous conflicts, Mykolyshyn said she feels the intergenerational trauma deep within. She feels it’s important for the rest of the world to continue pushing back against Russian aggression.
“History shows us that isolationism and appeasement leads to an emboldened aggressor and the spread of war and tyranny to other nations, leading to our involvement on a grander scale down the line,” she said. “I think it’s extremely important for people across the world to keep speaking out and fighting until the war is over, hopefully with Ukraine having all of its sovereign territory returned.”
