(Ottawa) It will be 1000 days this week since Russia invaded Ukraine and the homeland of Volodymyr Zelensky resists. Arriving in Canada in the first days of the assault, Ambassador Yulia Kovaliv, a former close collaborator of the Ukrainian president, looks back on the last months of this war, which only “peace through force” will resolve.
Published at 5:00 a.m.
What does this milestone mean for Ukraine, and for you personally?
That’s a lot, 1000. Beyond the number, there are the human tragedies, the lives lost, the broken families, the destroyed cities. Ukrainian children deported to Russia, civilians detained and tortured. But it is also 1000 days of resistance and unity; 1000 days, when everyone expected Ukraine to fall in the space of a few days. And these 1000 days, they already represent a strategic victory for Ukraine. The country continues to fight, to live and to prove to the world that democracy, human rights and sovereignty are worth defending.
As far as I am concerned, during these 1000 days I felt the weight of the loss of human life, both in my family and in those close to me. I think one of the most difficult moments was having to tell a mother who had taken refuge here, and whom I knew well, that her son had died on the front line, killed by Russians. It was one of the most difficult times of my life.
What impact could the return of Donald Trump have on the course of the war?
Being ambassador to Canada, I’m not really in a position to comment on what’s happening in the United States, but Ukraine has managed to work in a bipartisan manner with the U.S. Congress. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Joe Biden and Donald Trump when they were candidates; we will continue to work with the United States administration.
What I will say, however, is that we all need to be aware that the virus of autocracy is spreading across the world. There was Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion, then Iran supplied Moscow with drones, and now we see North Korea sending thousands of soldiers, around 11,000, to the Kursk region.
President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to “force Russia to make peace”. What does he mean by that?
Between the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of February 2022, there have been more than 200 rounds of negotiations between Russia and European leaders. Look where that got us. We know that the only thing Vladimir Putin understands is force. Hesitation and appeasement are a green light to continue the aggression – we have also seen this in Georgia and Transnistria. There will be no peace without respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
PHOTO OLEKSANDR GIMANOV, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A man walks through debris in Odessa, Ukraine.
Canada has made many promises to Ukraine, but they are often slow to materialize. What is your assessment of Canadian assistance?
We are grateful that Canada is one of our strongest allies. Peace through strength is achieved on the battlefield, so military support is obviously crucial. There are drone attacks almost every night, so the delivery of the air defense system is highly anticipated. It should arrive very soon, i.e. by the end of the year1.
The Canadian defense industry also produces high-quality armored vehicles [un premier lot des 50 véhicules promis a été livré en juin dernier]and Canada continues to train pilots for fighter jets. On a humanitarian level, Montreal’s commitment2 aimed at repatriating thousands of Ukrainian children illegally deported to Russia is an important step.
Conservative MPs voted against the Canada-Ukraine free trade treaty, arguing that the carbon tax should not be included in it. How did you interpret it?
We are aware that there are debates based on national political issues. What I have felt for 1000 days is the massive support from the population across the country. I have always been very touched by this. The relationship between our two countries is unique, not only because we share the same values, but also because it is built on very strong human ties. We are working with all political parties and we hope that support will be sustainable over time. And since Canada will hold the presidency of the G7 in 2025, we hope that this will be an opportunity to reaffirm the G7’s support for Ukraine.
The words of the interview with the ambassador have been rephrased for the sake of clarity and conciseness.
Wave of international support for 1000 days of resistance
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Since March 15, 2022, municipal councilor Serge Sasseville has demonstrated almost daily in front of the Russian consulate in Montreal, his neighbor across the street. He arrives with his stroller stained with fake blood and plays on a loudspeaker the sounds of machine guns and air raid alerts, then the Ukrainian anthem. “At first, I did it alone, with my phone and my speaker. On average, I had to be absent about three days a month,” he maintains.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
“The Russians didn’t find it funny what I was doing. They started blasting Russian music very loudly through the loudspeaker to cover the Ukrainian national anthem,” recalls the one who is persona non grata in Russia since April 2023. The windows of his residence are decorated with Ukrainian flags, the most recent “a bright yellow and blue satin” made by a Ukrainian woman having replaced those that the sun had bleached. As day 1000 approaches, Serge Sasseville has no intention of lowering his flag. “I will stay until peace returns according to the criteria established by Volodymyr Zelensky,” he assures.
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PHOTO RALF HIRSCHBERGER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Closer to Ukraine, a demonstration to denounce the Russian invasion was organized in the streets of Berlin, Germany. Exiled Russian opponents Vladimir Kara-Mourza, Yulia Navalnaïa (widow of Alexei Navalny) and Ilia Yashin were at the front of the procession.
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PHOTO IRINA DAMBRAUSKAS, REUTERS
A demonstrator passes her hand over a mural bearing the image of the Russian opponent who died in captivity Alexeï Navalny, on the sidelines of a rally in support of Ukraine in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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PHOTO REMO CASILLI, REUTERS
In Rome, demonstrators gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Italy to mark the 1000e day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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PHOTO HOLLIE ADAMS, REUTERS
The Russian embassy in the United Kingdom, located in London, also received a visit from demonstrators opposed to the regime of Vladimir Putin.
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PHOTO EDUARDO MUNOZ, REUTERS
A protester waves a flag to demand an end to the war in front of the Russian Consulate General in New York, United States.
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Excerpt from what Serge Sasseville said before the Russian consulate
1. Read the article “A long-awaited gift”
2. Read the article “A plan that “touches our humanity””
