It was a year ago that Russian troops invaded Ukraine, beginning what was initially called a “Special Military Operation” by Russia. A former Swan River, Manitoba decided to travel overseas when he first heard the news. Bryce Klassen says he felt what he described as a “tension” to get involved. He didn’t have a concrete plan of what he would do or how he could help.

Over the next several months, he helped bring Ukrainian refugees from the western side of the country to Lithuania, and he ran supplies into Ukraine. Klassen explains that there was a co-operative between groups in Lithuania and Ukraine and he was a part of their efforts. There was a language barrier, so Klassen says there were times when he wasn’t sure what was going on, so he learned to go with the flow. Klassen got around the barrier using basic words, hand signals and Google Translate. (CJGX)