Edmonton couple forced to relocate from Ukraine to Italy as threat of war grows

A couple from Edmonton has temporarily relocated from Kyiv to northern Italy while Russian troops show no signs of withdrawing from the eastern border of Ukraine.

Stefania Kostiuk and Johnnie Samycia moved to Kyiv in August of 2020.

The pair had met while professional Ukrainian dancing and were working for Shumka when they decided to chase a dream to live abroad.

“It was really good timing for us to both leave and start fresh,” Kostiuk said about packing up life in Canada to move more than 7,000 kilometres.

“There are no regrets. We love living there.”

They were working as teachers in Kyiv when the Canadian embassy began sending updates to residents in Ukraine about the escalating political tension.

“It wasn’t enough for me to leave work,” Kostiuk said of the first emails, which had told them just to "exercise caution."

“It was a very difficult decision to make because we are so tied to that country. It’s really hard just to walk away from that.”

Shumka dancers Stefania Kostiuk and Johnnie Samycia, moved from Edmonton to Ukraine in 2020. (Source: Stefania Kostiuk)

Kostiuk and Samycia described the mounting urgency to leave as gradual, with anxious calls from friends and family.

On Feb. 1, she said the embassy told them to “leave while you can” and while “commercial means” were still available.

“There was that tension but it was kind of unspoken,” Kostiuk said, adding that residents in central and western Ukraine were not panicking at the time.

However, the tone began to change, Samycia explained.

“People were starting to have serious conversations about it in Kyiv and looking on their phones for bomb shelters and constantly reading the news.”

But, while there’s growing concern within the country of an invasion by Russia, Kostiuk said the conflict has united the people of Ukraine "more than divided them.”

WEDDING IN LVIV POSTPONED

For now, the pair are continuing their day-to-day life in Italy teaching online. But, they've had to hold off on sending their save-the-dates for their wedding.

Kostiuk said they got engaged on Ukrainian Christmas Eve in 2021 in Edmonton and had planned to get married in Ukraine in the summer of 2023.

“Obviously, it’s 'no' today,” Kostiuk said.

“We still really want to get married in Lviv. Hopefully in a couple weeks we can continue planning.”

On top of wedding planning, the goal for the couple is to move back to Ukraine in the spring. But, Samycia thinks the timeline they’ve set may be too optimistic.

“We’re just keeping up to date with the situation as it goes.”

“As soon as things get better, we’re going right back,” Kostiuk added.

“We don’t want to take away from people who are there and experiencing it. We are not the ones who are suffering right now.”

• Alberta’s Ukrainian community stands together as fears over Russian invasion grow

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jessica Robb