MOSCOW, December 28 (Sputnik), Anastasia Raevskaya — New Year’s Eve is supposed to be a happy time for everyone. Families gather around the table, give each other presents and eagerly discuss their plans for the future. That is how most of us imagine an ideal way to celebrate the arrival of the coming year. But things are different when one’s country is torn by a conflict that separates families and forces people to move away from their homes.
“Me and my wife had to run from Ukraine when bombardments began” says Anton, 27, from Slaviansk in Eastern Ukraine who is now temporary residing in Russia with his relatives. “We had a group of small children with us; their parents asked us to take them away from the conflict,” he adds. Anton’s story is more like an action movie, where a hero has to overcome all challenges to gain the upper hand at the end. Packed with 9 people each, his and other refugees’ cars sped away from Slaviansk, as they came under fire. “When the shelling started, many turned back. But we got lucky. We rushed forward and prayed. Our car did not let us down and we survived”.
Angelika’s family did the same when she and her mother heard shelling outside their house. “Our windows trembled, I was terrified and my mother and I started gathering things — basically those for my child and the most necessary for us,” Angelika, 20, who is having one-year old son, told Sputnik. With the help of volunteers, her family managed to escape from a village near Luhansk and came to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don, where they have been living in a refugee housing facility for several months. “Volunteers helped us very much. They found a job for my mother”, the young woman said.
Although the 20-year old misses her home country, she doesn’t want to go back. She has recently moved to St. Petersburg, where she is now living with her husband, from whom she was separated for a while.
“We were considering divorce but the war reunites people. We decided we should put things right”, Angelika says, adding that she is trying to keep a positive stance towards future despite a hard time. Replying to Sputnik’s question about how she’s going to spend the New Year’s Eve, she says: “We are planning to celebrate the New Year with our friends. We have already met some here”.
Russia has established about 900 temporary housing facilities, in more than 76 regions. Since the beginning of the crisis Russian authorities have assigned 6.5 billion rubles (about 105 million euros) for refugees’ needs, as previously stated by RIA Novosti.
But in some cases it doesn’t seem enough. People complain about living in poor conditions. Many face problems finding a job and obtaining necessary documents. The situation is especially hard for those who live far away from big cities.
“We live in terrible conditions”, says Ekaterina, 36, who is residing in a small village, 45 km from the town of Kamensk-Uralsky. Located 1859 km east of Moscow and surrounded by beautiful Ural mountains, the town can be proud of its charming landscape. But living in a small town is difficult when you don’t know anyone. “There are no volunteers here as the town is too small. People who live here barely make both ends meet”. Ekaterina has three children, but can’t work hard as she has been suffering asthma for 15 years. She is in dire need of medical treatment, baby care products and household goods. “It would be also great to get some snacks and sweets for children. New Year’s Eve is soon, you know, but we can’t even dream of spending it around the table and preparing delicious dinner, not to mention the champagne”, Ekaterina complains.
“I came home a week ago”, says Irina from Luhansk. “It was secure in Russia, and I was afraid to go to Ukraine. But there were some document issues, and I missed home anyway”, she added.
The Russian government is expected to adopt a new refugee law next year. The draft has already been discussed by members of the Civic Chamber in early December, as reported by RIA Novosti. The new legislation is designed to simplify the refugee status application procedure and reduce time when newcomers have an indefinite status.
As for now, ordinary people and aid organizations are trying to help refugees as much as they can. Social media is flooded with posts offering help. Even large families are ready to provide newcomers with a place to live.
As New Year’s Eve comes closer, aid organizations are busy with arranging celebrations, especially for children. The head of the aid organization “Mirnoe Nebo” (“Peaceful Sky”), Svetlana, invites Sputnik to a charity children’s party, which is expected to take place on January 5, in the Moscow City business center. “Children will take part in a painting competition. There will be a lot of music, presents and tasty dishes”, Svetlana says. She thinks that many children have no chance for a normal New Year’s celebration and hopes that the event will help to bring a little miracle to their lives.
