🇺🇦 Ukraine Flag Day — a small, caring story
When I became a Canadian citizen in 2013, I felt two things at once: deep joy and a gentle ache. Joy, because the road to that ceremony in Winnipeg was not easy—and yet it led me to a country where so many people treated me with kindness. Ache, because love for the place you are from never leaves your bones.
Manitoba helped make me Canadian. Teaching family social sciences at the U of M, working alongside Indigenous Peoples through AFP, and being welcomed by friendly Manitobans—these moments stitched Canada into my heart. My Canadian family gathered in Winnipeg so we could celebrate together. The ceremony fell during my usual summer trip to Ukraine, but it was important to be in Winnipeg that day. Right after, I became a Canadian citizen: I flew back to Crimea to spend August with my Mama and Uncle, preparing for fall teaching. I didn’t know it would be my last time in Crimea—twelve years and counting—or that Russia’s war against Ukraine would erupt in 2014.
Becoming Canadian didn’t change the fact that I was born in Ukraine. It expanded my responsibility. I made it my mission to educate Canadians about the war and about our culture—because not everyone has time to learn, and not everyone is lucky enough to be my student. So I started small and visible: I wore my vyshyvanka, I spoke about Ukrainian history and the waves of Ukrainian immigration that helped build Canada. I developed courses about diaspora. I shared stories.
When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, I decided something simple: make it easy to find one another. If you stand with Ukraine, carry a flag. If you need a flag, I will find you one. I began taking the blue and yellow everywhere. The flag and my vyshyvanka invite questions. Curiosity opens the door to conversation, and conversation is where learning—and solidarity—begin.
In Kamloops, I’m proud of a community that shows up, week after week, to stand with Ukraine. Sometimes we get a rude gesture—maybe one out of five hundred—but most often we hear Salva Ukraine, thumbs up and a gentle honk. We also meet people who ask, “What flag is that?” And that’s the moment I love. It’s a chance to teach, to listen, to say thank you to Canadians who choose solidarity.
Recently, I visited the Stand with Ukraine gathering in Victoria—a caring group that started their gatherings this year. I’m heading back again Tuesday, August 26 at 5:00 p.m. near the Legislature to stand with them. And in Kamloops, every Saturday at 3:00 p.m. near City Hall, all are welcome.
If you see us—come say hello. Bring your questions. Bring your heart. Bring a flag if you have one; if you don’t, we’ll share ours. Visibility matters. Solidarity matters. A flag is just cloth until people carry it together. Then it becomes a promise: to defend freedom, dignity, democracy, and the sovereignty of a people who are still, every day, protecting the free world from terror and aggression.
On Ukraine Flag Day, I’m grateful to Canada for the home it gave me, and to everyone—across every Canadian city and around the world—who keeps showing up weekly, even daily. We will stand with the flag, we will teach, we will thank our allies, and we will keep going until victory.
З Днем Прапора України! 💙💛
Stand with Ukraine wherever you are. Share the flag. Share the stories.
With respect,
Sasha — Dr. Oleksandr Kondrashov
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