This Kelowna man is fighting in Ukraine has part of the country's Territorial Defense Force.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Dennis Storozhuk

A Kelowna Ukrainian-Canadian has safely arrived in Ukraine and is defending military units amid a war in the country.

On Monday, March 7, the man, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns while in Ukraine, left Canada to fight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for foreigners to join an "international brigade" to defeat Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last month.

READ MORE: Canadians prepare to fight in Ukraine as legal questions, security concerns swirl

“I am a Canadian citizen and I am very proud of that. But Ukraine is my motherland. I feel guilty having a wonderful life when Ukrainian people are suffering, when women and children are dying,” he said. “I have two children and three grandchildren in Ukraine. They could leave to Europe but they refused.”

Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand has said there are uncertainties around whether it is legal for Canadians to fight for the Ukrainian side but many Canadians have been answering the Ukrainian government’s calls to help defend the country.

“I am aware of the federal government warning but that does not stop me,” he said, adding he doesn’t know how long he will stay as it depends on the situation in Ukraine.

“I will come back right away if the war is over,” he said.

READ MORE: Kelowna man heading to Ukraine to provide support

Currently, he is fighting with Ukraine's Territorial Defense Force in the Lviv region, said Dennis Storozhuk, organizer of the Kelowna Stands with Ukraine group, which has been raising funds for military gear like helmets and medical supplies for Ukraine. They also purchased a one-way ticket for the man, who has military experience.

“Last night, he had his first assignment. They were guarding military objects from Russian empire groups,” Storozhuk said. “Basically since he is an older guy, they recruited him for guard duty."

The group also sent five packages of medical supplies and military equipment with the Kelowna man. They have been distributed to a local hospital and to the territorial defence unit, he said. Fundraising efforts for more equipment is ongoing.

A Canadian from Kamloops will also be heading to Ukraine to fight in the next few weeks, Storozhuk said. The group will be providing him with some military training as one of its members is a licensed firearms officer and former military officer.

In Kelowna, Dolyna Ukrainian Cultural Society President Peter Bihun, who had a conversation with Premier John Horgan this morning, said refugees will start arriving in B.C. soon.

READ MORE: Canada's PM Justin Trudeau near tears hearing stories of Ukrainian refugees in Poland

The society is in need of translators, doctors, lawyers and other professionals who can assist with the arrival of the Ukrainian refugees, he said.

Most of them will be women with children and may not be able to work right away, he said.

The society is also still collecting donations through the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and is holding a Ukrainian sausage sale until the end of this month that will support humanitarian aid overseas.

A Kelowna Stands with Ukraine rally will be held Sunday, March 13 starting in front of Kelowna city hall at 2 p.m. and will end at Vernon’s Poulson Park in a convoy. They’re asking for donations and for tactical equipment and medical items.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian food is on the menu at a barbecue fundraiser in Penticton tonight.

As part of their Freedom on Fire fundraiser, the Barking Parrot will be serving up Ukrainian sausage, pirogies, cabbage rolls, and kobasa by donation. Proceeds will support the fight on the front lines by purchasing items like bulletproof vests, tactical helmets and medical kits.

The Ukrainian national anthem will be played, and the restaurant will also be displaying a strong symbol to its opposition to the invasion.

“A coffin is going to be placed in Barking Parrot to represent all the lives being lost to this fight with Ukraine and Russia,” said Andrea Rose, who does digital marketing for the Barking Parrot. 

“We want to be clear that we are against the war and the people responsible for the war – not the people of Russia.”

READ MORE: 'They were shooting civilians': Ukraine refugees saw abuses

Many staffers at the Barking Parrot have friends and family living in Ukraine and have been directly impacted by the invasion, Rose said.

“This is our way of doing something that will be able to directly help people on the ground. And it goes straight to the people, not though a foundation or anything.”

The event runs until 7 p.m. tonight, March 11.

"Join the fight today against tyranny, despotism, totalitarianism and oligarchism," reads the description of the event. "Stand up for the rights and freedoms of all human beings..."

Then tomorrow, March 12, the public is invited to the third rally in solidarity with Ukraine at the intersection of Warren Avenue and Main Street in Penticton. More than 30 people from all age groups participated in last week’s demonstration.

Organizer Sherry Mitchell said she will be selling sunflower pins by donation at this week’s rally, which runs from noon until 2 p.m.

Those living north of Penticton who want to support the people of Ukraine can do so by ordering Ukrainian sausages from the Dolyn Dancers in Salmon Arm, who will be donating their profits to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

READ MORE: Russian offensive widens as US imposes new trade sanctions

— With files from The Canadian Press

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