Ukrainian woman in Winnipeg trying to bring remains of fallen husband home
A Ukrainian woman who now lives in Winnipeg is hoping one day she will be able to bring her husband's remains to her new home, a place he hoped one day he too would be able to call home.
Hanna Sidorchenko recently learned that her husband won't be able to start a new life in Canada with her as he died fighting in Ukraine.
Her husband Andrii was a drone operator in the Ukrainian army and was recently killed in action.
He was stationed in Bakhmut, the city that has seen some of the most intense fighting since war broke out between Ukraine and Russia.
Sidorchenko said she learned on May 4 that Andrii was killed during a Russian missile strike.
"He was hit by debris of the missile along with two others," Sidorchenko said with the help of a translator in an interview with CTV News.
She said Andrii had a dream of one day making it to Canada himself, a dream Sidorchenko is still hoping to fulfill, even after he passed.
She returned to Kyiv along with Oksana Lazarenko – who has been helping her and her son – to bring home Andrii's cremated remains.
The two returned to a barrage of Russian missile strikes on the capital city and narrowly missed being hit by debris.
"Two houses next to the house I stayed were hit. One was pretty bad, it was an office building. Good thing nobody was there," said Lazarenko.
Unfortunately, their trip was not successful as Andrii's body has yet to be recovered and Hanna had to return home empty handed.
"She still hopes that she can bring him back, his ashes," said Sidorchenko through a translator.
While Sidorchenko waits for another opportunity to bring her husband's remains home, she said she is trying to start a new life for her and her son in Winnipeg.
They both want to learn English and find work.
As they get settled, the community is fundraising for the family to help give them a hand.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.