Ukranian and Venezuelan communities rally for peace and call for non-confrontation in their respective nations.
The crisis in Ukraine, which has seen the overthrow of the country’s government and Russia’s annexation of Crimea, is being felt acutely at a Centretown church described as a “microcosm” of the troubled nation’s ethnic divide.
Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church on Somerset Street is the oldest parish with Ukrainian heritage in the city.
“We are explicitly praying for peace in Ukraine in the church,” says Rev. Maxym Lysak, the congregation’s pastor.
“We have Ukrainian and Russian people in the same church,” he notes. “It’s a microcosm of Ukraine.”
While born in Canada, Lysak is of Ukrainian descent. Before entering the priesthood, he studied Soviet and Eastern European studies at Carleton University.
He recently gave a lecture examining the civil unrest in Ukraine. He then led a memorial service with a priest from the Russian Orthodox Church in Ottawa, commemorating those who died in the protests overseas.
“It was very moving,” Lysak says. “The first calling of my church is prayer, prayer for peace, prayer for the situation, prayer for those who’ve been killed.”
But support in Ottawa for Ukraine has moved beyond memorials.
The group EuroMaiden Ottawa has been staging demonstrations since civil unrest in Ukraine began. Flashpoints have included the Russian embassy, Parliament Hill, and the Ukrainian embassy on Somerset Street.
Protesters met in late January at the Ukrainian embassy calling for the ouster of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. After his regime collapsed, demonstrators began speaking out against the Russian government’s actions in Crimea and President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive stance on seizing control of the pro-Russian autonomous region.
Russia’s formal annexation of Crimea, despite the new Ukrainian government’s opposition and international condemnation, took place in mid-March.
“The focus has shifted because the situation has developed,” says a EuroMaden protest organizer named Yaroslav, who declined to give his last name since he still has family members overseas and fears for their safety.
“There’s not much point to having any meetings with the Ukrainian embassy,” he says. “The Ukrainian embassy is on our side now.”
Pat Ruest, a RCMP officer deployed outside the Russian embassy during a recent protest, said there have been no issues with violence, saying the RCMP was there because of its mandate to protect embassies.
“Things are pretty stable in Ottawa,” he said."The protesters have been polite and are following directions.”
He added that the right to peaceful assembly is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms .
According to some protesters, many Russians in the city do not support the military aggression of the Putin government.
Yuri York was born in Ukraine and now lives in Ottawa. He says he has Russian friends who supported the overthrow of the Ukrainian government.
“We had some Russians come out to our protests, who support EuroMaiden and who are protesting Putin,” Yaroslav says.
“We’re not anti-Russian. We’re anti-Putin. We don’t like what he is doing,” he says. “It’s basically the U.S.S.R reborn.”