Ukrainian refugees in Europe: "Let’s take dad here"

The war has separated the families of Ukrainians – millions of women with children are waiting out the war in Europe, considering whether to return to their homeland when peace comes. There are only two options for family reunification, as they themselves say: “We are with dad or dad is with us.”

The well-known doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky believes that as soon as the borders open, a new wave of immigration awaits Europe. In an interview with Dmitry Gordon, he argued his point of view:

“Millions of families are already thinking about this: where will we go after the war? Now there are a huge number of women with children outside of Ukraine. A Ukrainian woman will find a job in a year, learn the language, adapt to anything. language, they began to bring grades, a year has already passed. And now the war is ending and we need to understand what kind of Ukraine they will return to. They will not return to Ukraine with lies, corruption and the lack of a social elevator. And our entire country is under threat.”

Edition “Country” tried figure outwhether things are really that bad, and whether the refugees plan to return home. In the course of the survey, opinions were divided. Here is what Ukrainian women who now live abroad say.

Kiev Natalia Polishchuk from Germany:

I live in Hamburg, I got a job as a hairdresser in a salon, I have my own clients. I have a 15-year-old son with me, he goes to school. We rent a room, I like it here, and honestly, I would stay here. But I miss my husband a lot, sometimes I feel like a traitor towards him. We go to Ukraine for school holidays, but I’m not ready to return for good. My husband has his own small construction business in Ukraine, but abroad he does not know how to apply himself, and does not want to leave. I tried to convince him and persuade him to move from Ukraine after the war, because the country will have to be rebuilt, and knowing what kind of corruption we have, which is unlikely to go anywhere, the money will most likely be stolen. Besides, I’m afraid for my son. Suddenly the war drags on, he will be taken into the army. And I don’t want that. So let’s hope our dad changes his mind.

Kharkiv Galina Maystrenko from France:

During the year of my life in France, my opinion changed several times. There are moments when you want to stay, mainly because of the unborn child. I have a daughter, she is 10 years old, she goes to school here and she likes it. I would like her to get a higher education in Europe, then there will be chances to get a good job. But on the other hand, I feel like a stranger here, pulling me home, to my husband. In Ukraine, I worked in the HR department in a large company, and here, because of not knowing the language, I got a job in a cafe in the kitchen. Therefore, I am inclined to believe that we will return to Ukraine after the war.

Irina Mishchuk from the Kyiv region, now lives in Poland:

In Poland, good workers are in great demand, and my husband is a jack of all trades. Even before the war, we wanted to try to go to work. Therefore, as soon as the men have the opportunity to travel, I will take my husband here. The language is similar, there is work, renting a house is not a problem. I myself worked here and at the checkout in the supermarket, and at the cleaning, now I take care of an elderly woman. The husband will have more job opportunities, there are many where men are required. We have an 8-year-old son, so we decided to build a future abroad for his sake.

Khersonka Ludmila Kiryk from Switzerland:

My husband will move in with us as soon as the war is over. How many years it will take to restore Ukraine is not clear. And we had enough of the 90s, I don’t want our children to go through hard times. It is not a problem for such hard-working people like Ukrainians to get a job. Perhaps we will move to another country in Europe. The main thing is stability here, laws work, people are socially protected. I am afraid that in Ukraine after the war, little will change in terms of the system, and if nepotism and corruption remain, then there is no point in returning.

Kyivan Ksenia Yakobchuk from Britain:

We are with dad, definitely. Everywhere is good, where we are not. Abroad, there is a completely different mentality, everything works differently. And in many ways they even lag behind (the same sphere of beauty, banks). Only now I realized that the real Europe was in Ukraine before the war. Even if there was a great job here with a big salary (and I got a part-time job at a school as an assistant for the adaptation of Ukrainian children), I would return to Ukraine. There I was a teacher in a private school, I have many friends. My husband has his own successful business, we have our own house near Kiev, which we bought just before the war and were finishing equipping. Abroad, you have to start everything from scratch. Therefore, without options – only back to Ukraine.

Yulia Mishchenko from Odessa from Germany:

I still doubt it, but most likely we will stay here and pick up dad. My employer promised to arrange it too (I got a job as an administrator in a hotel, I have good German). My son is 11 years old, he really improved his language in a year at a local school, he made friends. The husband has not decided anything yet, but I think he will agree to move. It won’t be easy in Ukraine for a long time, and I don’t have a second life.

Zaporozhian Tatiana Bondar from Poland:

My daughter and I will return to Ukraine, this is not even discussed. While it is dangerous, but when the war is over, there will be no other question. My husband is waiting for us back, we have our own apartment, a car. It takes years to earn all this here. And most importantly, in Ukraine everything is native, and the walls help there.

Elena Korol from Ivano-Frankivsk, now in Britain:

We are still thinking. There are arguments both for and against. On the one hand, Europe is well-fed here, there are many opportunities for development, and most importantly, the future for children. On the other hand, elderly parents, their own house with a plot, and friends remained in Ukraine. The husband hesitates. I got a job here as a parking ticket collector, they took me with average English. The salary is three times higher than it was in Ukraine (I am a sales manager). My husband could also get a job here (he is a driver). Perhaps he will move here, but we have not yet made a definite decision.

Polina Zubovich from Kiev from France:

I am a patriot, I love my country very much. I am sure that after the war we will quickly rebuild everything, there will be a chance to start everything from scratch. Young politicians of a new generation will come, and we will live in such a way that even Europeans will dream of moving to us. I don’t think it’s a utopia. Even now, during the war, we are head and shoulders above in many ways. Take the same Internet banking. And if everyone leaves, who will raise Ukraine? This is our land, no matter how pathetic it may sound. Therefore, of course, we are to dad.

Maria Bilokon from the Odessa region, now in Germany:

We are inclined to the fact that “dad to us.” For the sake of the child, let’s take this step, and we’ll all settle here. The husband is ready to move, he is an official in the city administration. The salaries here are good, cleaners receive under 2,000 euros – several times more than our teachers. The standard of living is naturally higher than in Ukraine (even before the war), although not without drawbacks. But nowhere is perfect. We want to open our own business in the field of transportation.

Reference. Since February 24, 2022, more than eight million Ukrainians have been forced to flee the country. This is UN data. Nearly five million Ukrainians have received temporary asylum in Europe. Most of the refugees – about 1.6 million – were taken in by Poland, neighboring Ukraine.

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