A Ukrainian family had to let go of their 15-year-old son to spare him the horrors of war. The boy arrived alone in Canada.
• Read also: Russia braces for default, reigniting 1998 trauma
• Read also: Ukraine calls for Russia’s expulsion from the Council of Europe
• Read also: LIVE | 19th day of the Russian invasion
His mother, Anastasiia Bereza, a journalist in Kyiv, had to make the heartbreaking decision to send Danylo out of Ukraine on March 3.
His week-long journey was difficult. He left Kyiv by car as the trains were packed. Danylo finally arrived at the Vancouver airport last Friday, where he is staying with family friends.
He hopes the war won’t be too long and he can return home soon.
The young teenager was lucky despite the current situation. In 2018, he came to Canada to participate in a hockey tournament. His visa was still valid, facilitating his arrival in the country.
“I decided it would be better for him if he was in a safe place. It was a difficult decision, because I don’t know when I will be able to see Dany again. I don’t know when he will be able to come home,” explains Anastasiia emotionally.
Danylo, for his part, has only good words for his mother, who remained in Ukraine.
“She is courageous. She stayed in Kyiv, she works there, she takes care of me and her mother, my grandmother. She is very brave. I appreciate every single thing she does for me,” he says.
From her apartment in Kyiv, Anastiasiia sees the bombardments.
Asked why she decided to stay despite the war, she says it’s up to the Russians to leave their country, not her.
–
