On Saturday, January 31st, 2026, the “War Up Close” VR exhibition was presented in Vernon, British Columbia, in western Canada.
Throughout the day, the venue was filled with visitors who came to see and experience the realities of war through VR headsets and hear firsthand stories from Ukrainian volunteers who have experienced the war themselves.
The exhibition welcomed visitors of all ages, local journalists, families with children, and teachers who brought their students. Parents had an opportunity to show their children, and teachers their students, a different reality and help them understand what Ukrainians are going through.
The event took place in January, when people in Ukraine were enduring freezing temperatures and facing power and heating outages in their homes as critical infrastructure was repeatedly targeted by Russian missiles.
The exhibition team and volunteers had an opportunity to share stories about the hardships faced by people in Ukraine and raise awareness of the ongoing war among the local community and media.
This exhibition was made possible through the support of Ukrainian school “UKRVERNON”, Ukrainian Canadian Congress Thompson Okanagan, and Anna’s Ukrainian Kitchen, a local Ukrainian restaurant.
The Okanagan Regional Library (Vernon Branch) generously provided a wonderful venue for the exhibition.
The project team sincerely thanks every partner, volunteer, and visitor for supporting the project and standing with Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor state.
