'It felt like it was war here': Toronto residents allegedly targeted for flying Ukraine flag

Multiple Toronto residents say they have been targeted for flying the Ukrainian flag on their vehicles, with one person saying an assailant broke their car window while two children were sitting in the back seat.

Michael Abrosimov moved to Canada from Ukraine in 1995 and says his wife’s family is in Kyiv, the country’s capital and a target of an invading Russian military force.

On Sunday, his family was driving to participate in Toronto’s “mega march,” a rally held in support of Ukraine, when he says his vehicle was attacked.

According to Abrosimov, as they were driving towards an intersection near Steeles Avenue and Bathurst Street, someone approached their vehicle and ripped the Ukrainian flag off.

The individual allegedly threw it to the ground and then walked back to another vehicle, which had a Russian flag flying, in the turning lane.

In the heat of the moment, Abrosimov said he got out of the vehicle and grabbed the Russian flag and threw it on the ground before returning to his own car.

“It felt like it was war here. That's why I maybe freaked out and I got out of the car,” he said. “I regret I sank to their level and did the same thing to them.”

However, the situation escalated when Abrosimov says the individual returned and started smashing the glass near the left passenger window of his vehicle. His two young children were in the back seat.

Abrosimov’s wife was able to capture the second part of the incident on video.

In the video, a red vehicle is seen blocking the family's way on the road. A person wearing a green jacket and a face covering is seen approaching the car, picking something up off the ground and then hitting the window.

The sound of broken glass can be heard, as well as a child crying.

The red vehicle is then seen speeding away through the intersection.

“There are no physical damages,” Abrosimov said. “I think it's mostly kids shaken up. It's not every day somebody just smashes your car and breaks your windows.”

Michael Abrosimov's car window was smashed while he was waiting to drive through an intersection in Toronto. (Facebook/Michael Abrosimov)

The family says they didn’t end up making it to the march. Instead, they drove to a police station and spent the next few hours filing a report.

Abrosimov said he has since heard from multiple other people who say they have been targeted for supporting Ukraine, specifically incidents involving individuals who approach vehicles with flags and tear them off. He said he hopes people continue to report these incidents to the police.

York Regional Police confirmed late Monday that a 32-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the case.

According to investigators, the suspect may be involved in at least one other incident in Toronto; although no further details have been released.

The suspect has been charged with one count of mischief under $5,000. Police say they are still investigating the motivation for the incident “as the suspect is not of Eastern European descent and suffers from a significant mental health issue.” The suspect was not named for those reasons.

Meanwhile, a resident of Etobicoke says the Ukrainian flag flying on his vehicle was stuffed into his exhaust pipe one night and that his tires were slashed the following day.

“Everybody was exhausted from watching the TV and all of events going on in Ukraine. We kind of sat down, relaxed and this was just disheartening,” Wasyl Moskal told CTV News Toronto.

Wasyl Moskal holds the Ukrainian flag in front of his Etobicoke home on Feb. 28, 2022. (Mike Walker/CTV News Toronto)

Moskal said his family returned from a rally in Toronto on Friday night and found the flag in the exhaust pipe. When they woke up in the morning, Moskal says the tires on two family vehicles were deflated.

“This is not the city we live in. We all moved here because of the peace and tranquillity of living in Canada not this kind of violence to be brought over. It's uncalled for,” he said.

While Moskal said he was disheartened, he also said he will not be removing the flags flying in front of his home. He said his neighbours have been supportive and have since moved their security cameras so that they cover his residence, something he greatly appreciates.

“The flags will never go down. This is the least we can do to support the people of Ukraine. There are people dying there, so getting my tires slashed will not stop me from trying to fly the Ukrainian colours.”

Toronto police say the incident at Moskal’s home is being treated as a suspected hate crime. There are no suspects at this time.

Rallies have been held in Toronto nearly every day since Russian troops first began to move into Ukraine. On Sunday, thousands of people descended onto Nathan Phillips Square to call for an end to the war.

Scattered fighting in Ukraine was reported throughout the weekend and numerous explosions have erupted across the city. According to Ukraine officials, more than 300 people have died and more than 1,600 have been wounded so far.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Ukraine, heading to neighbouring countries in an effort to escape the violence.

With files from CTV News Toronto's Mike Walker