Iryna Kuznetsova’s mother, Kateryna Kuznetsova, fled the war-ravaged city while fighting terminal cancer, buried her dead husband in her front yard, and escaped from Russian soldiers after being placed on a train “to nowhere.”
Kateryna Kuznetsova and her daughter, Iryna, after she was admitted to hospital following her escape from Mariupol.A month after Russia seized Mariupol, families of Ukrainian fighters seek their release “But when you see someone – a real human, a real story – that you can relate to? It makes a difference.”Iryna, who came to Vancouver in 2013, suddenly lost contact with her family in early March when Russian forces completely surrounded Mariupol and began to take over.
“Being in Vancouver, going outside, and seeing just normal life – when you’re not on your phone reading the news, your mind says it’s a bad dream.”First ship of Ukraine grain exports sails for first time since Russia’s invasion began “I knew they would not be able to evacuate or go to the bomb shelter,” Iryna told Global News back in May.