Displaced Ukrainians in Edmonton eagerly watch military 'gaining ground' back home

Some displaced Ukrainians now living in Edmonton have been at the edge of their seats watching news from their homeland for the past two weeks.

After more than 200 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Ukrainian forces mounted a massive counteroffensive to recapture portions of the Kharkiv oblast, an eastern province bordering Russia.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the operation managed to recapture 2,000 square kilometres and some 400 settlements.

The renewed military effort from Ukraine marks a momentum shift in the conflict, said David Marples, Ukrainian and Russian history and contemporary politics professor at the University of Alberta.

"Ukraine mounted a counterattack both in the south and especially in the Kharkiv region and retook an enormous territory, stretched to the Russian border," Marples told CTV News Edmonton. "Town after town fell to the Ukrainians."

"The Russians just disappeared," he added. "They ran away and left a lot of equipment behind."

Russia is still striking from behind the front line, with Ukrainian officials saying missiles are hitting critical infrastructure, including power plants and a reservoir near Kyvyi Rih that has caused flooding.

• Complete coverage of the war in Ukraine

'THE BEGINNING OF THE LARGE VICTORY'

Nataliia Bondarets was on vacation when Russia's invasion began in February. With just the suitcases she brought to her getaway, she ended up coming to Edmonton to seek refuge until the fighting in the Kharkiv area ended.

She has not been home or to see her business since. But the recent Ukrainian military success has buoyed her spirits.

"We were really afraid that Ukraine would not exist anymore," Bondarets said. "It was a horrible feeling."

For the past several days, she and her family have been glued to coverage of the conflict back home.

"We didn't sleep all night," she said. "We were just reading the news and watching the TV."

"It's really the beginning of the large victory," she added. "Now, it's not only just the hope. We believe in it. We believe in it strongly."

While the tide seems to be changing, Bondarets says she hasn't made up her mind on whether she will return.

"Our city is (still) constantly being bombed," Bondarets said. "Till the end of the war, I don't know."

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Orysia Boychuk, Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Alberta Provincial Council president, anticipates many families are hoping to return home.

More than 10,000 newcomers have moved to Alberta, she said. There still remains an estimated five million displaced Ukrainians around the world and another 8 million displaced within the country.

But until the fighting and shelling end, the Alberta organization supporting displaced Ukrainians will continue offering its support.

"We are offering everything we can to help them," Boychuk said. "We will continue to do that."

'THE TABLES HAVE TURNED'

As the conflict enters this next phase, Marples says there's already a change in Russia's messaging, with some leaders publicly questioning the military operation.

"Russian media actually mentioned (the Ukrainian offensive) for the first time," Marples said. "They talked about losses. They talked about Ukraine regaining territory. They blame it all on NATO and the west, the west providing Ukraine with (military) equipment."

"They're beginning to question the tactics employed by the leadership in Moscow," the professor added. "That is very different."

While criticism has not begun to reach Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, Marple expects the longer losses continue, the harder it will be for leaders not to question him.

"Ukrainians don't mind sacrificing quite a bit in order to win this war," Marples added. "I'm not sure that's the case on the Russian side. I see a real ambivalence about whether they want to continue in this vein."

Boychuk says many in the local Ukrainian community are encouraged that the conflict could be nearing an end.

"We were in defensive mode for the longest time," Boychuk said. "Now the tables have turned."

"We are very guarded, but we know that the army will persevere," she added. "This is a big relief… We are gaining ground."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb and The Associated Press