As war grinds on and with nowhere else to go, Ukrainian refugees in Poland find themselves stuck in limbo

KRAKOW: Ukrainian Valentyna Ryzhykova was forced to leave everything behind, when Russia invaded her country a year ago. 
 
The 34-year-old and her family – including her seven-year-old son, sisters and mother – left the capital Kyiv on Feb 25, a day after the invasion, and headed to safer regions in the west of the country. They eventually ended up in Poland weeks later.
 
“It was a very hard decision, because we were thinking that it’s not real, that it’ll stop in one, two days,” said Ms Ryzhykova, whose husband had to remain in Kyiv, as most Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60 have been barred from leaving the country.
 
“It was a very hard decision for me, because it’s not like we’re (leaving temporarily) by car. For me, it was very stressful.”
 
Millions of Ukrainians have fled since Russia invaded the country, and neighbouring Poland has borne the brunt of this exodus.
 
But what was supposed to be a temporary support has now turned into a long-term issue, as many Ukrainians find themselves unable to return home.

MANY UKRAINIANS UNABLE TO RETURN HOME

In June, about three months after they arrived in Krakow, Ms Ryzhykova and her sister decided to rent a small workshop to run a textile business.
 
While it helps to pay the bills, it is a far cry from the textile production company they operated for years in Kyiv.
 
“We decided we need something to do, because our minds are always thinking about the war. We can’t eat or sleep,” said Ms Ryzhykova, who has returned to Kyiv a few times to visit her husband.
 
She added that the war has to end first, before she will consider moving back for good. 
 
More than 9 million Ukrainians entered Poland in the first three months of the war, according to estimates. 
 
While some have returned home or moved to other countries, many have remained in Poland. 
 
The Polish Border Guard estimates that about 1.5 million Ukrainians are still staying in the country.

PREVENTING A HUMANITARIAN DISASTER

Now, dozens of non-governmental organisations in Poland have stepped up to offer support, hoping to prevent the refugee crisis from turning into a humanitarian disaster.
 
Polish foundation Wolno Nam, for instance, provides Ukrainians with a roof over their heads, food, and other essential items. 
 
It also runs a hostel which houses about 200 Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, at any one time.
 
“There were like hundreds (of refugees) because at the beginning, this building, we focused more on it (as a temporary shelter or transit home),” said Ms Agata Pleciak, who volunteers with the foundation. 
 
“So they stayed for two, three nights, and they went on their way to the West. Now, most of the inhabitants are here for months.”
 
However, the massive influx of Ukrainians into Poland has not gone down well with everyone.
 
Last November, during Poland’s national holiday, nationalists carried banners and shouted anti-Ukrainian slogans.
 
But for now, they are still only a vocal minority.
 
A recent poll by the Polish Pollster Research Institute found that more than two-third of Poles think the Polish government is doing a good job in helping Ukraine in its war with Russia.
 
Last year, Poland had spent about US$2.76 billion on support for refugees from Ukraine.
 
But its deputy interior minister recently said part of this money has returned to the state budget in the form of taxes, as Ukrainians settle down, find jobs and rebuild their lives in Poland.

STUCK IN LIMBO

“They suddenly lost their sense of security, their homes, their jobs. For the most part, these are women with children, usually from big families. It’s obvious that everybody would like to have a safe place for themselves and for their children to live,” said Wolno Nam volunteer Teresa Seruga of the Ukrainian refugees.
 
“They would also want to work and to be independent. The children should be able to attend school. The war shouldn’t impact them in a way that they cannot go to school and have a safe place for themselves.”
 
Still, many Ukrainian refugees are finding themselves stuck in limbo as the war grinds on.
 
For Ukrainian Niia Nikel, she thinks of returning home almost every day. 
 
But the 33-year-old does not want to take the risk. Her four-year-old daughter Yeva suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
 
“We have a lot of bad situations, where the mothers with children stayed at home and they died. Because their children were not mobile. When there were bomb attacks, they couldn’t leave their houses, they stayed inside and they died,” she said.