A ‘Grad’ rocket hits the house to yours. Looking out of the window, you see bearded gunmen driving an APC. So, it is high time one looked for another house to stay in with a family otherwise it may be too late. The most desperate Ukrainians go to the West to start their life anew. But hardly anyone expects them there.
Search after happiness
The siblings Vladislav and Svetlana and their families used to live not far from Donetsk Airport. As the so called peaceful seizure of buildings in the city turned into a real fight, they decided to leave the city and headed for Mariupol. “But soon these strange people came to Mariupol too… And we decided to go further,” Vladislav says.
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In Donetsk, he worked as a chief technical officer at a steel plant. His wife was a chief quality specialist. His sister Svetlana gave consultations on healthy nutrition. But now even education and experience cannot guarantee employment in Ukraine. Refugees from Donbas complain that the [other Ukrainians’] attitude towards them leaves much to be desired. People from Donetsk and Luhansk are not welcome by those who give jobs or rent flats. They are accused of pro-Russian sentiments and bloodshed in Donbas.
“We have lost everything we had. A shell hit the block where my apartment was and destroyed its corner. The staircase is still safe. Windows are broken due to explosions. A projectile flew directly into my friend’s flat. Thank God, it did not explode. At my grandmother’s place a shell hit the staircase and exploded, knocked the door … We lost everything – friends, work, housing, Motherland – because of the war,” Svetlana says.
She tells the story of her friend, a businessman. The militants of the so called Donetsk people republic held his son for ransom. She tells about the militants’ wrestling cars away from ordinary people. She remembers how a shell exploded near the entrance and killed someone…
And they decided to leave the country. They reached the Ukrainian-Polish border and started seeking asylum.
Legal trap
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In recent years, a lot of Ukrainians have come to Poland to work or study. Since the war in Donbas started, thousands of refugees has been arriving in the country. However, Poland does not seem to be ready for that.
Since early 2014 about 3,000 citizens of Ukraine appealed to the authorities of Poland with a request for refugee status. According to official statistics, only 19 (!) applicants received additional protection or permission to stay.
“The refugee status is granted to those persons who face any personal threat in their native country. For example, if some groups or authoritarian power threaten an individual with personal persecution. In this case such person is granted with a Geneva passport and residence permit,” Ewa Piechota, Spokesman for the Office for Foreigners in Poland, says.
This means that thousands of Ukrainians who have fled from Donbas, cannot count on the official refugee status. Authorities assure that each application is considered individually and all the circumstances are taken into account.
The fact of shelling in Donetsk is not enough [for its resident] to stay in Poland. Ukraine has not officially at war, and should help their own citizens.
“Sometimes citizens of Ukraine ask to suspend their cases themselves. Sometimes agents promise Ukrainians everything under the sun. If you go to Poland and ask for asylum, they say, you will immediately get housing, jobs and Polish passports. But it is not true. Such brokers deceive people and still take money for their ‘service’,” Ewa Piechota says.
Mother and stepmother
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“Why Poland? Because we have Polish roots, we all Poles via male lineage. We have relatives here. And we want to stay here,” Vladislav says. But in spite of their Polish origin they stand little chance: no war announced – no refugees exist.
In January, the Polish Foreign Ministry organised the evacuation of ethnic Poles from Donbas. Nearly 200 persons who had Pole’s Card or could confirm their origin left for Poland. But people without Pole’s cards or those who came to Poland on their own happened to be unwelcome at their historic homeland. They are backed by a number of organisations, e.g. Freedom and Democracy Foundation, sometimes by local authorities and volunteers. They give clothes, provide professional consultation, but according to the legislation, such persons still remain in limbo.
“We do not need much, we do not need any preferences. I started working at the factory as a worker, so did my wife. And here we are ready to start all over from scratch. For the sake of our children’s future “, Vladislav says.
Will this plan work out? The immigration authorities are to take a decision in March.
Zmitser Yahorau/MS
