Ukraine War Amps — Remembrance, Support, and Responsibility

For more than twelve years, Ukraine War Amps (UWA) has supported people whose lives have been forever changed by war.

Our story began in 2014, when Russia launched its war against Ukraine. Since then, we have supported wounded Ukrainian service members, people who have acquired disabilities as a result of the war, and families who have lost their loved ones.

Over the years, hundreds of individuals and families have become part of our lives. We have shared their stories, their pain, their hopes, and their struggles. Many of those we once knew are no longer with us.

We could not change their fate. We could not restore their health, bring back their loved ones, or give them back the lives they had before the war. But we could offer them something profoundly important — the feeling that they were not alone. That they were remembered, that someone cared about them, and that they had not been left to face their suffering on their own.

Sometimes, that makes all the difference.

On September 19, 2026, members and supporters of Ukraine War Amps once again marched through the streets of Toronto as part of the largest Ukrainian festival in North America. Together, under our flags, we demonstrated the solidarity that has united our community for more than a decade.

Looking back over these twelve years, we realize how much has changed. Yet one thing has remained constant — our responsibility to those whose lives have been devastated by war.

I once told my son:

“This is your lifelong responsibility. Because people whose lives have been shattered by war will remain among us for as long as they live. And we have no right to forget them.”

Remembrance is not only about preserving the past. It is about recognizing our responsibility to those who have experienced violence, persecution, and injustice. And this work will not end when the war ends.