by Heather Marshall
Individuals and families who choose to make Manitoulin their new home invariably face personal sacrifices and lifestyle changes in doing so. However, a small group of recent newcomers from Ukraine have faced unimaginable challenges—fleeing a war zone to escape death or maiming, learning a new language, forfeiting former professions to find work, leaving behind loved ones they don’t know if they’ll ever see again—to secure their safety and the chance for a better life. And they are incredibly grateful to be here.
The influx of young Ukrainian families coincides with the Russian invasion of their country in February 2022, when Russia sent troops into Ukraine on three fronts and fired missiles on locations near the capital city of Kyiv. As of September 24, 2023, at least 554 Ukrainian civilians had been killed since the start of the unprovoked war. Yullia Donskova and her close friend, Yullia Zelenko, were determined that their families would not be among those statistics and were the first in the group to move to Manitoulin along with their younger children.
Yullia D had already encountered Russian backed separatists in her hometown of Donbas in Eastern Ukraine when Russia seized Crimea in 2014. She and her husband, Art Donskov, an executive chef in a large restaurant chain, and daughter Yvea, moved to Kyiv soon after where she worked as a nurse in a doctor’s office for many years until being hired by a Kindergarten (daycare centre) to oversee children’s nutritional and health care needs. There she met and befriended Yullia Z who was the director of the centre. Yullia is married to Vlad Zelenko, who worked for a security company that delivers money to banks and ATMs. They have two boys, teenager Vadym and a younger son, Timothy.
The courageous women struck out on their own to get their families to safety, first going to Poland while waiting for the necessary paperwork to enter Canada. The families qualified for the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program, which offers Ukrainians free, extended temporary status for three years and allows them to work, study and stay in Canada.
Through Facebook, the women found support from another former resident of Crimea, Vera Kuminov, who had earlier immigrated to Canada and moved to Manitoulin. Vera had established a network of people in Toronto and on the Island helping those caught in the current conflict. The network assists with temporary housing, financial support, job offers and finding longer-term places to live. It includes Olga Tyvrovisky, who paid for Airbnb accommodation in Poland for the two Yullias and their children until their documents were ready. She also welcomed them into her home in Toronto when they first landed in the country in May 2022.
Upon their arrival on Manitoulin, Vera connected the newcomers with Courtney Elliott, owner of the Boo-Bah-Lou Candy Corner in Kagawong, who was the next to take them under her wing. Grateful to be safe and in a welcoming community, the women quickly adapted to being housecleaners and cooks. They became famous for their homemade cabbage rolls and perogies in no time. Hard work was no deterrent to settling into their new country, where they have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of local people whose donations and assistance got them off to a good start.
“We would get back from working all day to discover boxes of food and clothing left at our door by total strangers. We couldn’t believe it,” says Yullia D. “Everything has been so amazing since we arrived. This is paradise!”
Yullia Z echoes her appreciation for all the things that make life good here. “We don’t need to pay to send our children to school or buy their books or pay for medical care if we need it,” she adds. “Our children are thriving and happy and we are so thankful.”
For health and other reasons, the men in their families were exempt from military duty. However, Art, Vlad and Vadym stayed behind in Kyiv for several months to wrap up their business and personal affairs. Once they got here, they also received a warm welcome everywhere they went by everyone they met and exceptional support from the community.
Courtney’s help extended to Art Donskov when he arrived in October 2022. She gave him the chance to demonstrate his culinary skills and eventually proposed that he manage a new restaurant she was opening in Little Current called Bear. Since its launch in December 2022, the restaurant has quickly become popular with Islanders and tourists for its Asian fusion cuisine and authentic Ukrainian fare made by the two Yullias.
The rest of the Zelenko family joined them in December 2022. Vadym is now part of the team at Bear and Vlad works on the Cole Munro fish farm that raises Ontario rainbow trout off Manitoulin’s shores.
Ruslan Nosirov and his girlfriend, Hanna Stepanova, were the most recent duo in the group to settle on the Island in Little Current in March 2023. As with Yullia D, the Russian invasion of Ukraine dates back nearly a decade for Ruslan, another former resident of Crimea. He was still living with his family and just starting a small tourism business on the Black Sea when Russian troops seized the region. His business destroyed and with no hope of a future under the occupation, he took advantage of an invitation to join a friend living in Kyiv.
Ruslan would spend the next decade moving up the ladder from waiter to deputy director in the restaurant chain that Art Donskov managed. Ruslan had a good job, as did Hanna who worked as a nail technician, and a good life when the nightmare struck again with the 2022 Russian invasion. The couple lived in a suburb of Kyiv only seven kilometres from Bucha, the site of a massacre of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians by Russian forces. They were terrified they might be next.
“When the war started, we were so nervous not knowing what would happen to us. My girlfriend and I hid during the day and slept underground in shelters at night, too afraid to be in our apartment. We only went there briefly to eat, shower and change clothes. Hannah’s parents lived nearby but we didn’t know if they were dead or alive.”
The couple were invited by Art and Yullia to join them on Manitoulin, which they gladly accepted. Ruslan began working at Bear upon his arrival and Hanna found work both at Tim Horton’s and as a nail technician working with local estheticians. “Art saved me in Ukraine,” says Ruslan, “And Manitoulin Islanders have come to the rescue since. I cannot begin to thank everyone who has been so kind to Hannah and me.”
Whether the newcomers arrived at the peak of the fall colours or in deep winter snow, they all comment on how beautiful the land is. “We had seen pictures sent by the Yullias but it was mind blowing to capture the incredible beauty of this place in person,” says Vlad.
What has struck them equally is the beauty of the people living here, who opened their homes and hearts to the new arrivals. The families were deeply touched to celebrate their first experiences with Thanksgiving and Christmas in Canada in the homes of locals like Chad and Theresa Rhines and Jib and Debby Turner.
All three couples have high praise for the many people who have made them feel so at home and made it possible for them to start new lives on Manitoulin. In addition to those already mentioned, they give special thanks to Dr. Dieter Poenn who set up English classes for them, Steven Rolston and Meredith Morris, Heather Pennie, Robin Best, all the Valu mart staff and Little Current Business Improvement Area members for helping them get established. Art extends a special thank you to Jason Jordan, who he says saved his life year ago, a tale he’s not yet ready to share.
“Our kids are learning English, French and Anishnaabe in addition to Russian and Ukrainian, which we speak. Their schools, teachers and friends are wonderful, like all our customers and everybody else we have come to know. We have such a good life and we are so glad to be here. We really had so much to celebrate at Thanksgiving.”
