Ukraine: Association for Ukrainians in Melbourne ‘disturbed’ by situation

The president of the Association for Ukrainians in Melbourne says the community is “very disturbed’ by the unfolding situation in the country.

Stefan Romaniw, Australian Ukranian leader, is deeply disturbed by the unfolding situation in the country.

Nearly 15,000 Ukrainian Melburnians are glued to their TV’s, phones and radios, watching and listening in horror as Russia amasses more than 100,000 troops on the country’s eastern border.

Stefan Romaniw, president of the Association for Ukrainians in Melbourne, said the community was “very disturbed’ by the situation and had sought assurances from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for Australian-Ukrainians stuck in Ukraine.

“There are about 1,400 Australian-Ukrainians in Ukraine right now, and we’re becoming concerned about the availability of flights,” Mr Romaniw told The Herald Sun.

Last night, DFAT urged all Australians in Ukraine to leave the country.

“We’re trying to lobby the Australian Government right now to send a message to Russia that any invasion would be met with a swift and strong response,” Mr Romaniw said.

Mr Romaniw, who has family in western Ukraine, said there are about 50,000 Ukrainians in Australia.

He said the biggest proportion of the Ukrainian community arrived in Australia in 1949 as refugees from war-torn Europe, with significant numbers also arriving in the 1950s and the 1990s, when the Soviet Union collapsed.

Mr Romaniw said that the Association had been assured by DFAT officers this morning that Australians in Ukraine would have “ready access” to flights home, some of which are being taken, while others are moving to neighbouring European countries.

On Wednesday at 6pm significant numbers of the Ukrainian community will meet at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in North Melbourne for collective prayer.