Quinte Immigration Services is assisting local Ukrainians worried about their relatives and wanting to provide refuge from the deadly conflict in the country.

Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling.  Civilians have been piling into trains and cars to flee the violence.

Orlando Ferro, QIS executive director said he reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada after receiving calls from members of the Ukrainian community interested in sponsoring refugees.

"I believe this is going to be a humanitarian crisis," he said.  "These are very sad and serious circumstances for people who are trying to fend for their lives.  We have to stay posted and see what happens in the next couple of days or so."

Ferro encouraged local Ukrainian families to contact Quinte Immigration at (613) 968-7723 if they are looking for assistance.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday afternoon "Canada is standing with Ukraine" as Minister of Defence Anita Anand said the Canadian Armed Forces are on standby if needed.

When pressed Trudeau stopped short of saying the west is at war with Russia.

He said Canada stands with Ukraine while announcing further "severe sanctions" on Russia condemning the "unjust invasion."

The new sanctions will target 58 people and entities connected to Russia, including members of that country's elite and their families along with Russian banks.

Canada is also cancelling existing export permits for Russia and will not issue new ones.  No airspace and mineral goods will be shipped to Russia.

"You are not alone," Trudeau said to the people of Ukraine.

Trudeau said his government has arranged safe passage for Canadians, permanent residents and their families seeking safety through land borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova.  The federal government is also prioritizing immigration documents for Ukrainians wanting to come to Canada.

Watching the fluid situation unfold on television late Wednesday night (Thursday in Ukraine), Ferro said he was "shocked but not surprised."

"We have been hearing that this could be happening for quite some time," he stated.

As a history buff, Ferro said it brought back memories of WWII.

"It's almost play-by-play," he said. "It's tough to compare but that is exactly the same moves Hitler did when he started with the Czechoslovakia invasion. The west didn't say anything and it went on and on and on."

Hitler would later invade Poland which is widely considered the official start of WWII in Sept. 1939.

Ferro said the most "chilling" moment was when Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any interference from other countries as his forces invade Ukraine will lead to ``consequences you have never seen in history.''

Chief Jens Stoltenberg said it will defend every ally against any attack on every inch of NATO territory. But no world leader is promising to move in militarily and defend Ukraine at the risk of touching off a bigger European war.