NZbased Ukrainians buoyed by war gains and local support
A UKRAINIAN national says the country reclaiming the region of Kharkiv is the first positive news they have heard since the war began.
Ukraine reclaimed the entire region of Kharkiv yesterday.
Soldiers raised the nation’s flag in towns and villages that had previously been occupied by Russian troops for the past six months.
Anna Heraskina, a Ukrainian living in Auckland, is originally from the region.
She said the news was ‘‘absolutely amazing.’’
‘‘It is the first really really good news [we have heard] in a really long time, especially for Ukrainians from the eastern part of the country.’’
She said while she and her family were happy with the news, they would not be fully satisfied until the war was over.
‘‘For now it’s really good news but what if they return in a month? What if they return in a year? In 10 years? [We don’t want to be] living with constant fear, danger, dread.
‘‘Kharkiv is [very close to Russia]. The region will be under constant danger because of the geography.’’
Mrs Heraskina migrated to New Zealand earlier this year but still has family living in the Kharkiv region.
She said they were speaking regularly and were glad that some form of security had returned.
‘‘For us it’s really just a huge relief. There’s no guarantees but hopefully they will not come back,’’ she said.
Olha Viazenko and Oleksii Ikonnikov have been organising weekly protests in the Octagon against Russian aggressions and Ms Viazenko said they will continue to do so until the end of the war.
She said the support from Dunedin people was great and hoped that it would continue.
‘‘It is really important for them to know that the world is with Ukraine.
‘‘It’s been half of a year and many people have started to forget about [the] war, so it’s important to continue to have protests and everything.’’
Mr Ikonnikov also appreciated the solidarity.
‘‘We love Dunedin people because they support us. It’s a lot of support,’’ he said.