'I hope that I can start a new life': Ukrainian refugee arrives in Halifax

There was an emotional welcome as a woman fleeing the war in Ukraine landed at the Halifax airport Sunday.

Anna Vasiutkina left her home in Kyiv by car, driving for days to reach the Polish border. It’s there she applied to come to Canada on a temporary visa.

“My parents are happy right now that we are in a safe place,” said Vasiutkina. “That is most important for them and I hope that I can start a new life and help them in the future.”

She left behind her parents, friends, and a job to come to Canada.

At the airport to greet her was schoolteacher Sarah Toma, who Vasiutkina will be staying with in Nova Scotia.

“I feel that I’m in a position where I can help,” said Toma. “I also have eastern European roots myself, so I feel a connection to these people because of that as well.”

Toma says the plan is to help her new friend find work and become acquainted with her new surroundings.

The two connected online through ICanHelp.Host, a website connecting Ukrainian refugees with people around the world willing to give them a place to say. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress also help facilitate Vasiutkina’s journey.

As of Sunday, the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) reported that more than 4.2 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion started on Feb. 24.

The UNHCR says Poland has taken in the most Ukrainians, at more than 2.4 million. Other countries like Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and Hungary have seen hundreds of thousands seek refuge.

On March 17, the Canadian government opened applications to allow people fleeing Ukraine to come to Canada for three years on a visitor visa.