Standing With Ukraine

Igor Klymenko hopes to finish building a drone that can detect landmines.

Igor Klymenko was working to build a drone that could detect landmines when war broke out in Ukraine. The device would make a difference and save thousands of lives around the world, including in Ukraine, where landmines are a deadly threat for much of the country. But after the Russian invasion, Klymenko was forced to take shelter in Ukraine’s countryside. With explosions overhead as his country was bombed, he could no longer move forward on his work or access the education he needed to finish the drone.

After the war in Ukraine began, the U of A saw many of its students and academic partners there fall under attack. The crisis required swift action to ensure support for Ukrainians whose lives were affected in unimaginable ways.

Just weeks after the attack, the Disrupted Ukrainian Scholars and Students fund, also known as DUSS UAlberta, was created by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies and its partners. Through this initiative and others, like the Ukrainian Students and Scholars Support Fund, donors helped provide Ukrainian students and scholars with access to critical services and financial assistance.

Less than a year after Klymenko took shelter in Ukraine’s countryside, the Ukrainian Students and Scholars Support Fund helped bring him to the U of A where he began studying computing science at Augustana Campus. Donors like you made it possible for Klymenko to continue refining his drone under safe conditions. Because of these donations, he can continue to make a difference for his country and for the more than 60 other nations struggling with the treachery of land mines.

“I can save the life of somebody’s mother, son or daughter by creating this device. We can save hundreds or even thousands of lives.” — Igor Klymenko, Computing Science Student

Ukrainian PhD student Kateryna Shunevych also remembers the fear of living through bombings. Not only did she worry for her safety, but the non-stop air raid sirens and ongoing threat of violence made it practically impossible to continue her studies.

Shunevych was able to resume her doctoral work at the U of A when DUSS UAlberta presented her with a teaching opportunity generously provided by the department of Women’s and Gender Studies. Shunevych didn’t hesitate to accept the offer, knowing it would provide both safety and some degree of normalcy during an otherwise tumultuous time.

As Canada’s leading university in Ukrainian studies, the U of A’s many ties to Ukraine and the Ukrainian-Canadian community have been forged over decades of partnership and collaboration. Nowhere are these ties more evident than as seen in the generosity of donors helping those whose lives are affected by the crisis in Ukraine.