A Quebecer of Ukrainian origin continues to multiply projects to help his traumatized compatriots and ensure that they are not forgotten despite the hardships of two years of war.
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“There are a lot of volunteers who helped a lot in the beginning and who [arrêté] complete. I think there are only 10 to 15% left who continue,” estimates Oleg Koleboshyn.
“It's normal. It's difficult after two years… I don't even know where I get the strength from [d’aider]. But I have no choice,” says the man, who has visited the country’s border twice since the invasion began.
Oleg Koleboshyn, 45, left Ukraine in 2010 to settle in Quebec with his family.
The Journal first spoke with him at the start of the war in 2022, when he was working special education at a school in LaSalle. He was in Romania at the time to bring back some of his relatives.
A year later, he raised money to send generators to civilians experiencing power outages in the middle of winter. A dozen devices were delivered.
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Heartbreaking
This year, due to the separation from his partner, he was no longer able to devote as much time to Ukraine as he did last year. He therefore needed a break of several months. “I had a guilty conscience,” he admits.
“I have this helplessness…I'm torn inside. I can’t go there, but I want to do something.”
He has regained his energy since the fall. It provides remote support for Ukrainians staying there or emigrating to other parts of the world.
Many suffer from post-traumatic stress, notes the man who was a psychologist in Ukraine before immigrating. At the same time, war has become almost commonplace for many of them.
Banal explosions
As an example, he cites a 20-year-old young woman to whom he offers psychological support. She lost her father, her mother, her stepfather and several of her friends.
During their final session last week, he could see explosions coming from the window behind her. “But she’s calm. There is no reaction. She experiences this every day,” he explains.
The danger of this normalization can also be felt here, as there has been significantly less talk about the war in Ukraine in recent months, he noted.
Together with friends, he began posting video clips online to provide information about what was happening on site. The YouTube channel will contain sections on Russian propaganda, history and comparisons between before and after the invasion.
“Who will rebuild Ukraine?” he asks himself. The longer the war lasts, the more children experience a “traumatized future” and the fewer refugees will want to return, he suspects.
“In April 2022, I thought the war would end in the summer,” he remembers with a smile. “It was too naive.”