In no particular order, we present the Top 10 Stories of 2022. Here’s the first.
Vladimir Zinchenko of CanGro Genetics never thought he’d go from selling seed to defending the Vyshhorod region of Ukraine (near Kyiv) with an automatic weapon.
But that’s just what he had to do when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February.
“Today the situation is calm in the region, but in general the situation in the country is very tense,” he said back in April.
Zinchenko is director of seed sales for CanGro Genetics in Ukraine. The Ontario-based CanGro Genetics sells non-GM soybean seed around the globe, including in Ukraine.
With Ukrainians in survival mode, CanGro’s general manager Martin Harry told Germination in the spring that staff and partners in Canada have been emotionally affected by the conflict and continue to look for ways to help.
“You know, you read some of the stories about the hardest-hit regions, people killed and other people living in their basements for over a month. How do you do that? Many of us here in Canada have never had to experience anything like this,” Harry says.
Zinchenko remained optimistic, despite the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine. In a photo he sent to Seed World Group, a large smile adorns his face despite the fact he’s holding an automatic weapon, ready to fight at any moment should the need arise.
“We will win. We will rebuild everything. Seed production will be OK. This year we will plant the seeds that we have, and then we will bring in foundation seed and restore everything,” he said in his email.
When asked how he can smile in spite of the challenges that surround him, his answer illustrates the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people.
“Our smiles are our secret weapon.”
