A love story torn apart by the Ukraine-Russia war leaves a Ukrainian woman in Guelph desperately trying to bring her Russian husband here to start a new life.
Iryna Ippolitova, her son Misha and dog Cody have lived in Guelph for over two years now. Her husband Aleksandr is in Moscow and she has been trying to bring him here so her family unit can be whole again.
She doesn’t know what else to do. She said his application to come to Canada is still processing. It’s been two years and she doesn’t know what the hold up is.
“We didn't have other options. We can't go back home to Ukraine because of the war, and we couldn't stay in Russia because it's dangerous being Ukrainian there,” said Iryna.
It’s taken an emotional toll on her. She wants her nine-year-old son to have his dad here so he can grow up with him and have a male role model.
Iryna feels depressed but she tries not to show it at home.
She was born in Ukraine. Through her job in logistics, in 2010 she travelled to Moscow on business. In the crowd at an art gallery exhibition she and Aleksandr locked eyes. It really was love at first sight.
Two years later the couple were married. They lived in Moscow together. “During this time, we became parents of a wonderful son, went through life's trials and were able to keep the family together in the difficult circumstances that now divide our nations,” said Aleksandr, in Russian through an email that was translated.
When the Ukraine-Russia war started in February 2022, Iryna and Aleksandr applied for the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) when it was made available. Iryna told her son’s teacher in Moscow he was sick and couldn’t attend school for two weeks. This was so he didn’t have to be involved in conversations about the war because she thought it wasn’t mentally healthy for him.
The family made the decision to apply so they could live in a safe country and have better opportunities for their son.
Iryna, Misha and Cody arrived in Canada in May 2022.
She started a life here, found a job, an apartment, a school for Misha to attend and bought a car. She adjusted to her new life and all she is missing is Aleksandr.
“I can say with confidence that my family is the main achievement of my life, my pride, support and the meaning of my existence. Every day away from each other becomes an unpleasant test. In all this, uncertainty is especially depressing,” continued Aleksandr in the email.
In June this year the family met in Istanbul, Turkey and spent seven days together. The trip was so the family could feel like a family again even for a short while.
It’s been hard connecting while apart. With the time difference between Guelph and Moscow. When the time allows for it, Misha and his dad will chat and play video games online.
She may decide to move to another country as a different pathway for her husband to be with her again. For now, she’ll wait to see what comes from her husband’s CUAET application.
“We don't know when the decision will come so we will need to decide something by the end of this year,” said Ippolitova.
She said she consulted an immigration lawyer and was told there isn’t anything he could do until a decision was made on Aleksandr’s application.
The war is “unforgivable” and going back to either country isn’t an option because of it, she said.
