Calgarians rally in support of Ukraine as Russian troops sit at border – Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Calgarians gathered at the Crescent Heights Lookout Point on Sunday to denounce the deployment of 100,000 Russian troops along the Ukraine border in recent weeks, joining other Stand with Ukraine rallies across Canada.

“Right now, Russia accumulated a lot of military buildup along Ukraine and is threatening further escalation of the ongoing invasion,” said Inna Platonova, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress’ Calgary branch.

“We’re here to show support for Ukraine, to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, to thank Canada and allies for their support.”

Since the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, at least 14,000 people have been killed and more than 1.5 million people have been displaced due to Russian aggression, the UCC said.

“We’ve seen what Russia can do, and Russia is not bluffing, so I think we should take those threats very seriously,” Platonova said, noting her extended family still lives in Ukraine.

Thousands of Ukrainian Canadians call Calgary home, organizers said.

“Calgary has the fifth-largest Ukrainian community in Canada and the second-largest in Alberta, so we are all very concerned,” Platonova said.

“We’re alarmed by what’s happening right now along the border of Ukraine. We are obviously very alarmed by the ongoing invasion of Russia, and we came out here to stand in solidarity with Ukraine and to show support for Ukraine during these difficult times.”

2:23
‘Only god knows how it will be’: Unease, uncertainty falls on Ukraine’s border towns

The Canadian government updated its travel advisory on Feb. 1 to say, “Avoid all travel to Ukraine due to ongoing Russian threats and the risk of armed conflict.”