The Year of Resilience

An exhibition of photojournalism from the war in Ukraine, The Year of Resilience marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s wholescale invasion of Ukraine. It honours the courage and strength of the people of Ukraine, who have risen every day to defend their freedom and right to live in an independent, democratic country. In their efforts, they not only fight for Ukraine’s democracy but for democracy world-wide.

Many observers predicted that Ukraine would quickly fall when the Russian Federation launched its three-day “special operation” on February 24, 2022. Since then, the world has witnessed the people of Ukraine, young and old, stepping up to offer their skills to help the military, assist in service delivery and reconstruction, and bridge the gap of humanitarian aid. The war has turned everyday civilians into heroes.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is a non-profit umbrella organization of Ukrainian-Canadian political, cultural, and religious organizations. For the past year, Saskatoon UCC has been raising awareness of the war and fundraising for humanitarian efforts. Working with the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada and the Ukrainian English-language online newspaper, the Kyiv Independent, Saskatoon UCC has organized an exhibition of some of the most stirring photojournalist images from the past 365 days. These images are on display at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada from Tuesday, February 28 to Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Saskatoon UCC President Pat Tymchatyn says, “Our collection of photographs demonstrates Ukrainian fortitude and resistance. They show the destruction of the war but not the devastation of the Ukrainian spirit – in fact, the Ukrainian resilience is powerful and inspiring.”