Given his personal connection to Ukraine, Steinbach's Chris Goertzen says these last few days have been incredibly difficult.

For one, Goertzen says he is very involved with the Mennonite Centre which is located near Melitopol, Ukraine.

"I am on the foundation board and so I have visited there a number of times and I get to know people who are there and we have staff that are there who are Ukrainians and so it is really disconcerting to hear about war so close and to actually hear that there are explosions that can be heard right from the centre itself."

Footage has been posted on the Mennonite Centre’s social media showing explosions nearby and tanks rolling through the streets.

Goertzen says the Mennonite Centre “helps with food for people who are vulnerable, it helps with medical aid, it helps with community-building projects, it has quite a wide range of areas that it covers.”

Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began just days ago, Goertzen says he and their board members have been working hard.

Explosions have been seen near the Mennonite Centre base in Melitopol, Ukraine. "We have been involved seems like every minute of the day making sure that number one, our staff are safe and that they are secure and that they are out of harm's way. Second of all, we still have things going on, there are still services that need to be provided to people who are there. There are a lot of vulnerable seniors and we are not only providing the food but we are now starting to provide shelter, shelter from conflict."

Having visited Ukraine on multiple occasions, Goertzen says this violent invasion really hits home on a personal level.

"We have people who we were interacting with who are there on a regular basis, we have regular emails and connections with people who are there and so it is a tragic thing to see."

It has been a tough couple of days.

Goertzen notes the City of Steinbach also has a closer connection to Ukraine than some people may realize.

"Back when I was mayor of the City of Steinbach, we developed a sister city relationship with the City of Zaporizhia. That is an area where many of the people who live in Steinbach, their ancestors were there, they lived there, they had communities there and that presence is still felt today in Zaporizhia. As a city, we still have connections."

Zaporizhia is also in the conflict zone and explosions have been within earshot over the last few days.