St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church

By Cheryl Jahn

Ukraine refugees

Ukrainian refugees remain after four years

Feb 24, 2026 | 3:42 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – “So they came to the new country. Not completely prepared for that, just a suitcase. With the kids, you know, the majority of them. So they really want to survive here. Now, after four years, the majority of them have settled down.”

That’s how Father Andrii Chornenkyi paints a picture of the hundreds who arrived in Prince George four years ago, when they fled their homeland in the wake of the Russian invasion. Today, he says some have returned home, while others are settling in to call this new country “home.”

“We have so far helped a little over 400 people that have been looking at their options,” explains Charles Scott with Share Hope. “Two-hundred-seventy-five are in Prince George. We have a number of families that will arrive every month, but it’s significantly lower, of course, in 2026 than it was in 2023.”

Since the events that unfolded in 2022, Prince George has actively supported the Ukrainian community with roadside events, and barbeques – organized by organizations like Share Hope, of which Charles Scott is a founding member – all aimed at helping newcomers settle in.

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So after four years, what’s the sense within the Ukrainian community?

“Most of the people that are in Prince George are looking to make Canada their new home,” says Scott. “There is a fairly reasonable concern that the neighbor to the east is not someone you can trust and that whatever peace plans happen will be broken at some point.”

And as Europe’s biggest conflict enters its fifth year, there is no sign of any peace deal despite U.S. diplomatic efforts over the past year.

“There are a lot of confusion,” says Father Chornenkyi. “I don’t see people are losing hope, but they are very confused.”

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency nearly six million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded globally.