‘Life or death’: Geelong Ukrainians’ relatives on the run

The region’s Ukrainian community is banding together as they receive alarming updates from loved ones on the run and facing dire situations in the under-attack country.

Geelong’s Ukrainian community is banding together as they receive alarming updates from loved ones on the run, facing “life and death” situations in the under-attack country.

Geelong West couple Paul and Casey Kaminskyj have been receiving concerning messages from a cousin who lives south of capital Kyiv.

All Mr Kaminskyj’s grandparents were born in Ukraine.

His cousin, who once spent six months in Geelong, has been reassuring the Kaminskyjs family members are alive.

Mr Kaminskyj’s family members in Ukraine detailed waking up to explosions as the outskirts of their town were attacked.

They have fled their homes and businesses towards Poland, but are finding it difficult to find a way out of Ukraine.

“The issue at the moment is misinformation, they’re noticing mobile towers have been struck,” Mr Kaminskyj said.

“There’s an attempt to disrupt communication.

“They’re trying to remain calm.

“It’s life and death to them at the moment.”

Ukrainian citizens hold posters during a protest in support of Ukraine in front of the Russian Embassy in Santiago, on February 24, 2022. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP)

Mr Kaminskyj said his family members in Ukraine felt a sense of national pride.

He said he felt a mixture of emotions including an “overwhelming sense of hopelessness”.

Batesford resident Mark Tkaczuk’s grandparents were forced to flee Ukraine during WWII and his parents were born in displaced persons camps, before emigrating to Australia in 1949.

He has relatives in Ukraine who he is regularly in touch with.

“We’ve been to Ukraine a lot so we’ve got a lot of close friends there,” Mr Tkaczuk said.

He said loved ones in Ukraine were shocked Russia had undertaken such a forced invasion and used such bullying tactics.

“There’s a lot of support for the Ukrainian armed forces,” Mr Tkaczuk said.

“They’re obviously concerned as to how this will play out.”

He said some in central Kyiv have made a decision to escape the city, while loved ones further west had woken up to bombing and the ground shaking.

Mr Tkaczuk said he felt a sense of helplessness.

“There’s a sense we wish the west was a little bit more forthcoming with some of the aid,” he said.

“We’re very grateful to our government and the leadership … and the stance they’ve taken but we feel more needs to be (done).”

“This is an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country by a bully.

“It’s a full scale invasion.”

Members of the local Ukrainian community gathered at their Pakington St hall on Friday night to comfort one another.

The Ukrainians in Geelong Facebook page posted: “A day that we never thought would come has arrived.”

“Russian tanks are rolling into Ukraine, and we face the prospect of a new generation of Ukrainian blood being spilt to defend our beloved Ukraine,” the post said.

The community will also come together at Pako Festa Reimagined in Norlane on Saturday, and local Ukrainians plan on attending a rally in Melbourne on Sunday.

‘You feel hopeless’: Geelong Ukranians speak out

Geelong’s Ukrainian community feels “hopeless” while they fear for the safety of loved ones as Russian president Vladimir Putin declared a military operation.

Explosions and artillery fire were reported in multiple Ukrainian cities, including capital Kyiv, on Thursday following escalating tensions.

Luba Pryslak and her mother Agafia Stawiski. Picture: Supplied

Association of Ukrainians in Victoria Geelong branch member Luba Pryslak said locals with ties to the country were very angry and “obviously frightened”.

“We have friends and family in towns that could be bombed at anytime … people are arming themselves, planning what bunkers they would run to.”

Ms Pryslak said Geelong had a very strong and united Ukrainian community.

“Many of us were at a rally in Melbourne on Sunday rallying against the Russian movements that have been developing over the last few weeks and asking our government to support Ukraine,” she said.

Ms Pryslak’s mother, now 92, and late father were born in Ukraine, and were deported to Poland by the Polish Soviet Army during World War II.

They arrived in Australia, where Ms Pryslak was born, in 1964.

Ms Pryslak said while her parents were forced out of Ukraine they still maintained their Ukrainian traditions and patriotism, and the family had taken numerous trips back to the country.

Ms Pryslak said she had family members across Ukraine including cousins and second cousins.

“You feel hopeless,” she said.

“The only thing you can do is go to rallies and send them moral support.

“You do feel quite helpless.

“We need to keep rallying and lobbying our government.

“We need to keep the pressure on (Russia).”

Multicultural Community Services Geelong chief executive Joy Leggo said Geelong had a close, active Ukrainian community that had been well established since the 1950s.

Local members of the Ukrainian community at Pako Festa.

“Many people do have contact with their relatives and friends in different areas of Ukraine,” she said.

“Many people are distressed with the current crisis, however, they have been living with this since 2014 with the initial invasion and annexation of Crimea.

“Distress is being felt knowing that this crisis may escalate into hardships that many of them experienced during WWII.

“Some of the information coming out of Ukraine is that they are preparing for the worst with people in many cities planning safety measures in case of invasion.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Russia had “chosen war”.

“About 2pm this afternoon, the Russian government declared that they had commenced a so-called ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine,” Mr Morrison said on Thursday.

“And they said this after months of aggression and intimidation. But I’ll call it what it is - the Russian government launched a brutal invasion, unprovoked, on Ukraine, and should be condemned for doing so - and Australia does.

“Together with the international community, we are banding together in strong terms to condemn these outrageous acts in the strongest possible terms.

“Russia is flagrantly breaching international law and the UN Charter.”

Mr Morrison earlier outlined a number of sanctions on Russia’s key industries, as well as five banks and eight high-ranking individuals.

In announcing the sanctions, Mr Morrison said Australia “always stood up” to “bullies and thugs”, and would not hesitate to impose further sanctions if Russia did not stop their invasion of Ukraine.

– with News Corp Australia Network

Originally published as ‘Life or death’: Geelong Ukrainians’ relatives on the run