Why this Russian immigrant is helping Ukrainians resettle in Canada

Katya Sundukova is one of many people in Canada who opened their doors to Ukrainians who fled their country after the Russian invasion.

But he has to face one obstacle when he first meets his new guest: the Russian Sundukova.

“I was a little worried when my family first arrived,” said Sundukova, who lives with her husband Jason Campbell in Caledon Hills, Ont., about an hour’s drive north of Toronto.

But after a few “heart-to-heart” talks, he and his guests were satisfied.

“I think my personal healing process, you know, the pain that we have as Russians and Ukrainians, you know, put in this situation where the brothers are now in conflict.”

Sundukova, a permanent resident who has lived in Canada for 10 years, has hosted 32 Ukrainians, including 14 of her families, in her home over the past year. He said the length of stay varied from two days to two months.

The Ukrainians who fled met Sundukova through a grassroots Facebook group and ICanHelp.host, an international network of volunteers working to connect Ukrainians with potential hosts around the world. The Canadian government has authorized Ukrainians to come to Canada through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program.

They then help them find housing and work longer term, including connecting them with potential employers to screen cover letters.

But he couldn’t help everyone who asked. Since putting her contact information on ICanHelp.host, she says she gets 20 requests a day from people hoping to stay with her.

See the journey

Olha Sukhina and her three children fled their beloved hometown of Odesa, southern Ukraine, on February 24, 2022 – when the war began.

He stayed with Sundukova for two weeks, before moving to Owen Sound, Ont. The municipality, with the support of local businesses, offers free rent for Ukrainian women and children fleeing the war.

Sukhina lived in Owen Sound rent-free for the first six months, and still paid less than market value. He now works in the kitchen. He also started his own business selling perogies and borscht at local farmers markets.

His arrival followed an arduous journey that included crossing a bridge at night while Russian ships watched from the coast, settling in a small village near the Ukraine-Romania border, and spending three months in a Bulgarian hotel with about 2,000. Other Ukrainians have also fled.

In the camp, she helped organize doctor visits and organize medical supplies, despite having no experience in health care, amid the outbreak of COVID-19 and smallpox.

“Oh my God, it was a crazy time,” he recalled.

For a while, listening to someone speak Russian, Sukhina was emotionally disturbed. But he can get past the immediate trauma, at least for now, by remembering his mixed Ukrainian and Russian heritage.

“When I ask myself – who am I – I’m a woman. I’m mixed. It’s normal,” he said.

“Citizenship [are] sloppy. It’s government, it’s politics. People need to understand: we are human.”

Katya’s house

Sundukova’s house is spacious, with a four-story living room, three bedrooms and a large balcony. Oh, and don’t forget the big yurt in their yard. It is located in a quiet rural setting, on almost 10 hectares of wooded land crossed by rivers and roads.

It doesn’t mean it’s not cramped. Sundukova remembers when there were two families, eight people in total.

“It was actually our first guest because they didn’t want to be separated. They were quite scared and they wanted to stay together,” he recalled.

Despite the impressive home, Sundukova says she and her family are not “rich enough” to sponsor all the hosts to travel from Ukraine to Canada.

He and Campbell both work in event planning, a field that has suffered since the pandemic. To adapt, he started breeding dogs, and hopes to host meditation retreats in a yurt if he can get permission sorted.

In the end, he couldn’t do much to help them until they reached Canadian soil.

“We just offer housing and food and drives [around town] so that at some point, you know, you can get a job, you can find a place, and you go on your own,” he said.

Campbell said many of the people he has met have become lifelong friends.

“[It] not only does it make you feel better to do something to help, but also just meeting all these new families and, you know, seeing them start a new life here, it’s really rewarding,” he said.

‘Thank you very much’

One of Sundukova’s most recent guests didn’t know that Sundukova was Russian, but it didn’t matter to her.

“I’m really grateful [her]. I don’t see people according to their nationality. I saw the man in action,” said a man in his 20s, who arrived earlier this month from Kyiv. The CBC has agreed to call him Sasha, as he fears the consequences of using his real name.

The first days of the war were “terrifying” when he lived with his parents in Kyiv, Sasha recalled.

“The hardest thing is, I guess it’s just that all your plans fall apart, like in the blink of an eye. So you’ve planned your life and boom, there’s a war.”

Both of Sasha’s parents are still in Kyiv, and his sister now lives elsewhere in Europe. But he felt coming to Canada would be a better fit, with his English skills.

Staying at Sundukova’s house for a few weeks has provided a good rest.

“I feel like a chateau or like a villa in the Alps. Maybe it’s because of the snow,” he said.

‘Heart still in his country’

Sundukova took her first break from the Ukrainian hosts who fled the war before Christmas, citing burnout and needing to recharge.

He knows that with his help, it will still be a long road for many, whether they choose to stay in Canada long-term or hope to return to Ukraine one day.

“I wouldn’t say they’re thriving. Like … they’re struggling to pay the rent. [wage]. So still using the food bank. They can’t buy cars, they can’t buy normal things,” he said.

“And they watch the news every day. So they are heartbroken. Their hearts are still in their country.”

Sukhina admits that sometimes she feels like a “robot”, disconnected from joy, when the initial euphoria of arriving in Canada disappears.

“One time I said, ‘you have to look at the sky. It’s the stars, it’s the sun, it’s the moon. You have to enjoy life. It’s okay, and your children are with you,'” she said.

Even in her dead time, Sundukova invited some former house guests to her yurt, and threw a New Year’s party.

“We put on a play, like a family theater show, and there are 35 actors involved,” he said.

They are already expecting their next family next month. He has no doubt that by helping Ukrainians fleeing war, he is also helping himself.

“I know how much pain it still has with anyone from Ukraine or Russia or anywhere,” he said.

“So I’m just going to help as much as I can.”