How do Ukrainian refugees live in Belarus? three stories
More than 84 thousand Ukrainians arrived in Belarus as of February 24, 2022. This information is provided by the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus. In turn, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) found that these are mainly residents of the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson regions. Most are women, more than half of the refugees came with children. The main problems associated with life in Belarus, Ukrainians called lack of money, difficulties with employment and finding housing. DW spoke to three refugees from Ukraine.
“No employer wanted to contact me”
Olga (name changed) is from Nikolaev. At the beginning of the war, a woman with two children fled to Germany, but she could not adapt there, including because of the language barrier, and came to Belarus. Here she was unemployed for a long time, she only managed to find a job after applying for the subsidiary protection status, which gives her the temporary right to residence, employment and medical assistance.
“Before that, no employer wanted to contact me. The state did not help with finances. I have something to compare with – in Germany I received a subsidy that was enough for at least food, but here nothing. I don’t know what would have happened if not it was the friends who fed me and the children. Housing was also found through friends, we only paid the bills, ”says the interlocutor.
According to her, the only financial help she received from the Belarusian authorities was the payment of a basic amount (37 rubles, or about 14 euros. – Red.) for each family member after requesting additional protection. The woman explains that the IOM and the Red Cross helped: the family received food certificates, basic food baskets, one of the children bought a coat. Olga says, “if everything ends” (the war in Ukraine. – Red.), she will return home: “There are relatives, friends, I want to go home. What will actually happen, nobody knows.”
“We look forward to returning home”
Irina and her family have been in Belarus since September. A resident of the Kharkov region recalls that at first she went to her friends in Russia, as she thought then, “to wait out the bombing for a couple of days.” “The situation did not improve in a couple of days, not even a month. And we ended up in Belarus at the invitation of relatives,” adds Irina. And she admits that in Belarus there were difficulties with finding a job, but two months later her husband managed to find a job.
“Medical care is normal, my husband had a medical examination for work, I took my daughter for an examination at the outpatient clinic, while everything is free,” the woman continues. “In Belarus, acquaintances appeared who helped a lot – clothes, food, utensils, it would be very difficult for all these people, since we didn’t take any clothes or shoes, we left everything at home.
The Ukrainian confesses that she still doesn’t know if her family will stay in Belarus, but dreams of returning home: “We hope to return home, because there we have everything we acquired in our life. relatives are there.”
“The salary offered is only enough to rent a house”
“We, residents of Donbass, a family of doctors, were at home on February 24, 2022, my wife was five months pregnant. for the difficult situation and the fact that I have a pregnant wife. We had to go back, we went to our parents, “Igor (name changed) shares his story. After the birth of the child, the family decided to move to Belarus, as it was not safe in the Donbass.
“At first we came to Minsk, but after an interview I realized that the salary they offered me would only be enough to rent a house, so we decided to go to a smaller city,” says the man. According to him, doctors in Belarus have low salaries, it is difficult for him to support his family and pay rent on his own. In the near future, Igor plans to leave and look for a new job, which will have a higher salary.
Among the disadvantages of living in the Republic of Belarus, the interlocutor also cited toll roads, “which you learn about when you are already being fined” (1,700 km of Belarusian highways are paid for unregistered transport in the territory of the EAEU. – Red.). Of the pluses – a good attitude of the people: “In many ways they helped and encouraged. The attitude is much better than in Western Ukraine.”
Volunteer: “Housing is the main problem”
One of the volunteers helping Ukrainian refugees in Belarus also agreed to speak with DW on condition of anonymity. According to the interlocutor, mainly families with children, elderly people, people with various groups of disabilities come to Belarus. “The main problem is housing, not everyone has money for rent, so refugees try to look for a job where they are also provided with housing, and this is rare in Belarus. It could be a hostel at a factory or a house in the village, if we are talking about a vacancy in agriculture. Some households have homes in good condition, others completely deplorable”, says the volunteer.
The caller also mentions problems with paperwork in Belarus. According to her, refugees have many complaints about the work of the Ukrainian embassy in Minsk. There are also questions about transferring money to Belarus: “Due to the fact that the Republic of Belarus is under sanctions, it is impossible to make a direct transfer. Also, Ukrainian banks can simply block the account of someone who is in Belarus without finding out who and for what reasons came here arrived. If any (in Ukraine. – Red.) the person had money in the account and could more easily withstand the hardships of martial law, so here he is naked as a hawk. The way out is to transfer funds through cryptocurrencies.”
According to the interlocutor, refugees always need food. UNICEF distributed certificates worth 135-150 rubles (50-56 euros) to buy food, the Red Cross distributed so-called dry rations. “Food products, as well as hygiene products, household chemicals are always in demand in any quantity,” clarifies the volunteer.
As for clothes and shoes, according to the interlocutor’s observations, there are practically no people who need it very much: “Those who came in 2022 were indeed undressed and undressed, some even in pajamas. Now people do not come to Belarus directly from the war zone, so they usually have things with them. When we invite the wards to choose their shoes and clothes, 2-3 people come. Although there are problems with delivering things to the wards living in the regions. “
Source: DW
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