Yellow and blue flags flew in cities across Canada on Thursday

Yellow and blue flags flew in cities across Canada on Thursday as Ukrainian Canadians organized demonstrations to denounce Russia’s attack on Ukraine and urged Ottawa to act swiftly to defend their homeland.

In Montreal, several dozen protesters gathered in front of McGill University, waving signs with messages ranging from "I want to see my grandmother alive," to the more militaristic "Arm Ukraine."

Larysa Grynko, who came to Canada from Ukraine in 2011, was one of several who helped unfurl a large banner in Ukrainian blue and yellow. Her voice catching, she said she was “devastated” by the events.

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“Words cannot describe the terror that we feel for families that stay in Ukraine,” she said. Grynko said she had spoken to her family, and they were safe for now and had confidence in the Ukrainian army.

She switched briefly to Ukrainian to deliver a tearful message that she said meant, "Be safe and be strong." In English, she urged Canada not to discount the risk posed by Russian aggression.

"If Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, it will not stop in Ukraine," she said. "It will go further, aggressing other countries."

Several Canadian cities, including Calgary and Montreal, said they would fly the Ukrainian flag over municipal buildings. Demonstrations were also planned in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton to denounce the Russian military strike.

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Olga Gogoleva, who’s from the Siberian region of Russia, carried a sign at the Vancouver protest that read, "I am Russian and I am against the war."

"I’m here to support Ukrainian people," Gogoleva said where a crowd of about 200 demonstrators were rallying at the city’s art gallery.

Natalie Jatskevich, the head of the B.C. branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said she’s disappointed in the international response to the conflict.

'The free world must rally': Ukrainian Canadians denounce Russian attacks. #UkraineRussia #UkraineInvasion #Canada

"I think the world is a little bit slow in reacting," she said. "Ukrainians are strong. We are not asking anybody to fight for us, but we need means to fight. We need defensive weapons and we need (them) now."

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