![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/socast-superdesk/media/2022022319028/6216865f023d160907f666a4jpeg.jpg)
Ukrainian community in Canada hopeful but on edge as tensions escalate with Russia
Iryna Matsiuk checks the news as soon as she wakes up each morning, hoping the escalating Russian-Ukrainian crisis won’t put her family in harm’s way.
Matsiuk, who has been living in Saskatoon since 2011, has a sister living in the capital city of Kyiv and her mother and grandmother live in the northwestern area of Volyn.
“Last weekend, I actually was pressuring my sister, asking, ‘Do you have an evacuations plan?’” Matsiuk said. “(Kyiv) is a big city and it’s not the easiest city to get out of, especially if everyone starts leaving.”
Her friends and family in Ukraine have been staying calm as tensions with Russia escalate, but Matsiuk said she can’t help but worry for them.