Two young best friends who were separated by Russia’s war on Ukraine and made extraordinary journeys to Canada were reunited over the Canada Day long weekend.
Kira Polischuk lives in Swift Current, Sask., while Sasha Filipchuk lives in Sudbury, Ont.
Last month, CBC News shared the story of their unbreakable connection, prompting a couple from Swift Current to cover most of the expenses for the best friends to reunite in Toronto this past weekend.
The now-11-year-old girls last saw each other on Feb. 23, 2022, the day before Russia’s invasion and Sasha’s ninth birthday. The girls walked to school together, as usual, and shared their confusion about the possible war. They never hugged good-bye.
Early the next morning, the missiles began and the trajectory of their lives was forever changed.
Sasha was shot several times in her left arm when Russian soldiers opened fire on her family’s car in Bucha as they tried to escape Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv. Her stepfather was killed.
Sasha and her mother, Yuliia Filipchuk, hid in a basement for two days. But when Sasha’s arm developed gangrene and she began to lose consciousness, Yuliia recruited help to carry her daughter through the conflict zone to the nearest hospital.
Sasha’s arm was amputated. She would eventually undergo rehabilitation in Italy, where she met the Pope, and receive a prosthetic limb in the United States. Sasha was even invited to throw a first pitch at a Major League Baseball game.
Best friends from Ukraine, Sasha Filipchuk and Kira Polischuk last saw each other the day before Russia invaded their country. Sasha lives in Sudbury, Ont., while Kira lives in Swift Current, Sask.
Meanwhile, Kira’s family fled to Poland, where they connected with an Austrian woman who had travelled there to offer refuge to a Ukrainian family. They accepted her invitation and spent eight months in the woman’s house for free. Kira learned German and her mother got a job washing dishes at a daycare.
The girls stayed in contact with messages and video chats.
“It helped me to be happy,” Sasha told CBC News.
Kira agreed.
“Old friends always know how you feel. They know a lot about you. So they can figure out when you’re sad or happy,” Kira said.
Both girls made it to Canada with their families through the fast-track program for displaced Ukrainians.
They had hoped moving to the same country would mean they would reunite, but quickly realized that distance and cost would prevent that from happening.
A Swift Current couple was moved by the story of their friendship and resilience and wanted to sponsor their reunion in Toronto.
This past weekend Kira, her little sister Karolina and her parents flew to Toronto to meet with Sasha and her mother, who made the trip from Sudbury. They spent time at a drive-thru safari park, Niagara Falls and Toronto’s waterfront.
“We really appreciate it,” Kira said. “I just want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to see my best friend again. We had so much fun together.”
The girls’ mothers said the trip made them very happy and was “full of emotions and new impressions.”
Best friends who were torn apart by the war in Ukraine, but made it to Canada after extraordinary journeys, were reunited in Toronto over the Canada Day long weekend after a Saskatchewan couple paid for their flights and some other expenses. Kira Polischuk lives in Swift Current, Sask., while Sasha Filipchuk lives in Sudbury, Ont.