'It's heartbreaking': NZ's Ukrainian community plan flashmob to show support and solidarity

Wednesday, 23 February 2022

The European Union has already threatened retaliation.

A Ukraine-born woman says she felt “powerless and speechless” after watching Russian President Vladimir Putin sign decrees recognising two separatist Ukrainian regions as independent.

The woman, who lives in Christchurch and is the president of the Ukrainian Association of the South Island, immediately called her best friend in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

“She said to me, ‘I’m just sitting, it’s the middle of the night. I'm sitting in my room ready to go, I have no idea where I’ll be going, just in case the war starts’.

“She says ‘I just feel like life is pretty much meaningless now’.”

The Ukrainian community in Christchurch is showing support for their friends and family in their home country by organising a flash mob on Saturday.

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The woman, who asked not to be named, moved to New Zealand about 20 years ago, after having a baby and wanting to raise a family away from the after-effects of the Chernobyl nuclear power station explosion in April 1986.

Speaking to her best friend and hearing the situation unfold in Ukraine, where she still had family and friends, made her feel “powerless and speechless”, she said.

“It’s pretty heartbreaking.”

Demonstrators march along the street near the Russian embassy to protest against the escalation of the tension between Russia and Ukraine in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022.

Global efforts to head off a Russian invasion of Ukraine were dealt a serious blow on Monday (Tuesday NZ time) when Putin chose to recognise two separatist Ukrainian regions as independent and sent Russian troops into the regions, while shelling continued in those areas.

In response, New Zealand reprimanded Russia for its stance as a violation of international law.

“Aotearoa New Zealand strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia’s actions today violate international law and cut across diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful resolution,” tweeted Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta on Tuesday morning.

Ukraine’s ambassador to New Zealand Kateryna Zelenko said her country was ready for war if Russia invaded, and the ripples of the conflict would be felt in the South Pacific.

“What is going on around Ukraine is not merely about Ukraine. The threat to one imperils the security of all,” she said.

In an effort to show support of people in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Association of the South Island president organised a flash mob to be held in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square on Saturday, with support from Ukrainian communities in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin, she said.

“It’s a thing all Ukrainians around the globe are doing at the moment, so we decided to do the same.”

She hoped to raise awareness of the growing tension between Russia and Ukraine in the region while the presence of Russian troops grew.

“Just to show them they’re not alone, we’re far, but we’re together and we care about them,” she said.

She said her friends who had kids in the region were in “constant fear of the war”.

“We have enough to deal with Covid and that war has been ongoing now for eight years in the eastern part of Ukraine, so people over there, they always live in this constant fear of something happening.”

She thought about 25 people would gather at midday on Saturday and was mindful of keeping an eye on the numbers under Covid-19 restrictions.

“There’s not much we can do at this stage, so it’s probably a waiting game and we [are] just hoping that nothing bad will happen. We do believe that this will be sorted in a peaceful way.

“To me, I think it’s important to people that we show where we stand with it and that we’re minorities here in New Zealand, but we’re still around and support our country and support out people.”