“We as Ukrainians will never lose our sense of self-identity, and Ukraine will endure and overcome the trials of war,” said Dr. Nadya Foty-Oneschuk (PhD), interim director of the Prairie Centre for the Study of Ukrainian Heritage (PCUH) in St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). “Three years of war have brought countless losses to the people of Ukraine. The human cost itself is unimaginable, with more than one generation of Ukrainians having been so deeply carved into because of this war. Lives have been stolen and taken out of arrogance and spite, countless others have been interrupted, and many families will be broken for a long, long time.”

“The material culture of Ukraine has also suffered greatly, with numerous cities and towns having been razed to the ground in the last three years,” Foty-Oneschuk added. “Though scholars are tirelessly attempting to document as much as possible, both proactively and in rescue missions in recently damaged or de-occupied zones, this work is literally endless. We were so fortunate to be able to co-host Dr. Ihor Poshyvailo, who shared with us the deeply painful accounts of trying to do this very commendable work on the ground.”

In 2024, a lecture presented in partnership with the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, the PCUH, Remai Modern, and the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies University of Alberta, featured Poshyvailo, director of the National Museum of Revolution of Dignity (Maidan Museum) and co-ordinator of the Heritage Emergency Response Initiative. The presentation spotlighted the extensive assault on Ukraine’s heritage, particularly its religious sites, and Ukrainian resilience in the face of this destruction as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Several significant historical sites have been destroyed or damaged during the war in Ukraine, including museums, theatres, churches, and gravesites.

An ethnologist, museologist, cultural manager and art curator, Poshyvailo emphasized the courage of cultural workers, artists, and communities in safeguarding Ukraine’s heritage. In advance of the present destruction, the 2014 Russian invasion resulted in extraordinary devastation, targeting Ukrainian cultural heritage with over 18,000 religious and cultural sites damaged or destroyed. At the time of his talk, Poshyvailo said that additionally, more than 1,900 objects of cultural infrastructure had been damaged, with over 900 heritage sites destroyed in the first two years of the invasion.

PCUH is an academic unit of STM, the Catholic liberal arts college federated with USask. STM offers courses in Ukrainian language, culture, and history, along with a Ukrainian Studies certificate, all unique offerings for campus.

Conceived as a community-university partnership and supported by endowed funds, the PCUH is seen as an important link between the university, the college, and the Ukrainian Canadian community. Created in 1998, PCUH’s mission is to promote the advanced study of various aspects of Ukrainian heritage, culture and life; to co-ordinate and encourage the preservation of primary source materials relevant to such study; and to disseminate results conducted under its auspices. Specific programs and projects aimed at preservation or designed to promote a wider understanding and appreciation of the Ukrainian experience in Canada and abroad are funded by the PCUH.

Foty-Oneschuk spoke to the unique role of PCUH and its value on campus and in the community as the war continues.

“In the wake of the seventh wave of Ukrainian immigration to Canada having arrived due to the full-scale invasion in Ukraine, our work in Ukrainian Studies is more important than ever,” she said. “With over 13 per cent of Saskatchewan’s population claiming Ukrainian ancestry, we are well-positioned to continue educating university students with Ukrainian heritage about their ancestral language, history, and culture, alongside newer Canadians from that region, whose concept of Ukrainianness was so deeply russified and sovietised. Furthermore, we continue to work tirelessly in creating awareness among all faculty and students about the integral role Ukraine has played throughout modern history, underscoring that to be able to understand Europe, one must be knowledgeable about Ukraine and its surrounding area.”

“Ukrainian will to defend their land, and their democracy is still incredibly strong,” said Foty-Oneschuk. “This strength and resilience are in the very DNA of Ukrainians, and though they are exhausted in every conceivable way, they are simply not going to give up.”

“At first glance, perhaps the war concerns only Ukraine and Ukrainians, but most of us understand that—all hyperbole aside—this is the most important literal battleground for democracy in the world,” Foty-Oneschuk added. “We simply must continue to stand with Ukraine, because they truly do stand on behalf of all of us.”