According to Edmontonians, Russian air raids in Kyiv have pushed families into bunkers

Key Takeaways:

• Anna Reva’s sister and her family fled Kyiv and now live in a bunker, where they can’t get away from hearing blasts in their city.
• According to Father Zubritsky, they have extended their hours and give more support.

As the war in Ukraine rages on, Albertans are taking a deeper look at what it means for the people who live there and how family members in North America are dealing with their loved ones’ precarious conditions.

Anna Reva’s sister and her family escaped Kyiv and now dwell in a bunker, where they can’t escape hearing bombings on their hometown.

Reva, who hails from Ukraine but now resides in Edmonton, said on Friday, “I was talking to my sister only an hour and a half ago, she got me a text saying there was a threat of an airstrike as well, they ordered everybody to go hide in the bunkers.”

Also read: Hundreds of people gather in Vancouver to show their support for Ukraine

Reva claims that her sister’s family is unable to travel above ground.

“It’s hazardous because kids may hear sirens, bullets, shelling, and explosion sounds,” Reva explained.

Olga Renneberg is in the same boat. Her mother is also in Kyiv, where she is confined to a bomb bunker.

“Right now, she is at such a place with several other neighbors from our apartment building and nearby buildings,” said Olga Renneberg, who is also from Ukraine but now lives in Alberta.

Renneberg expressed concern for her mother’s safety but expressed faith that Ukrainian troops would hold their ground and expressed a desire for additional assistance from the international community.

‘I’m feeling lost, terrified, and powerless, and I want to weep but can’t because it would make my mother cry.’ “As a result, we both have to be strong,” Renneberg added.

Many individuals feel the same way as Renneberg and seek peace in local churches like Edmonton’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

“They’re in pain, and they’re coming here with that pain because it’s become unbearable,” Father Cornell Zubritsky explained.

Father Zubritsky stated that they have had to expand their hours and provide extra assistance.

A helper, according to Zubritsky, will most likely need to stay for a while since he feels the battle and the suffering it causes throughout the world is far from over.

Source: CBC News