Chad Martz of Chilliwack wanted to get the word out that Wednesday, Aug. 24 marks Ukraine’s Independence Day – and six months of bloody war at the hands of the Russian forces.
Martz uploaded an upbeat family portrait to mark the occasion on Wednesday with his wife, Mary, and daughter Tatyana from Ukraine.
Chad and Mary have been in western Ukraine since before the conflict broke out, working with Hungry for Life International, the Chilliwack-based Christian charity, providing food, supplies and support to those fleeing Russian missiles and artillery strikes. They also provide respite for workers in their home.
“This is a country where over 12 million people have fled their homes, amid tens of thousands of civilian and military deaths,” Martz wrote.
He underlined that with 20 per cent of Ukrainian land under Russian occupation, “despicable atrocities” continue to be committed.
“And yet Ukraine continues to fight for its freedom,” Chad said. “To simplify it, the Russian world has destroyed and devastated parts of the country, but they will never destroy the resolve of the Ukrainian people.”
His wife, Mary is from Ukraine, while Chad grew up in Chilliwack, having graduated from Chilliwack Secondary.
Chad told The Progress last month that the country had come together to fight a common foe: “whether striving to get food or supplies to people, like they do, or volunteering at checkpoints, fighting in the military or providing resources like transportation, the Ukrainians have united.”