Ukrainian refugees across Europe demand and deserve a realistic solution. Why isn’t it discussed?
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The Ukrainian people have now been subjected to a year of deadly and destructive warfare. So far, their balance sheet appears to be absolutely disastrous. Despite the occasional grandstanding on the part of the Kiev government and various Western officials, the situation is dire in every way.
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Ukraine became a huge question mark in terms of its statehood three weeks before the one-year anniversary of the start of what the Russians refer to as a special military operation. Following the referendums held last year, Russia declared the incorporation of the four former east Ukrainian provinces. And yes, we can clearly speak about them as “former”.
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There is no way for the Kremlin to reverse those decisions. Whether one likes it or not, this is the solution Russia provided to the people of those regions: they will live in the Russian Federation and will have effectively become Russian citizens.
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But what about the Ukrainians themselves? We’ve heard endless arguments about the “identity” of the people of Donbass and south-east Ukraine. Surprisingly, there is little to no discussion of the Ukrainians who are simply Ukrainians; those who live or have lived in the west of the country until forced to flee. Why?
Are they ineligible for a remedy? How much longer will they be subjected to fairy tales about the recapture of Crimea and other such nonsense? Ukrainian refugees are clearly expressing their desire for some sort of normalization of the situation on numerous internet forums. Many of them do indeed want to go back “home.” And it is the responsibility of the so-called international community to give them the opportunity to define “home!” Russia has partitioned the country, and further annexations are not ruled out. The heavy hammer of 300,000 mobilized soldiers has yet to fall. And it will.
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This, and many other aspects of Ukraine’s ongoing conflict, are discussed by Maciej Wisniowski, a long-time Polish journalist, documentary filmmaker, and commentator, and Boyan Stanislavski, a Polish-Bulgarian publisher and journalist, in a podcast hosted by the Polish electronic media outlet STRAJK.eu
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“Ukrainian refugees currently residing in Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and other Western European countries have a right to a dignified and decent solution! How much longer will those people have to wait? Or do Russia and the West intend to keep them in exile indefinitely? This is outrageous!”, Stanislavski stated.
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“Europe, or even the world, is clearly in desperate need of reimagining Ukrainian statehood. Now is the time to begin the discussion of its intended appearance. Now is the time to act, before it’s too late. We know for certain that Russia will not tolerate any anti-Russian activity on its borders, so whatever entity emerges from the chaos of war will not be NATO or the West’s flag post. However, it must be something to which Ukrainians can relate. Could we please begin to listen to their voices?” we hear Wisniowski respond in the interview.
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As the symbolic anniversary approaches, the debate among the Ukrainian refugee diaspora in Eastern Europe is gaining traction. Some invoke historical traditions such as the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria in the 18th century, while others simply start calling themselves Galicians, while others spin another express desire for living in the “real Ukraine” limited to the western provinces. Their voices must be heard! It’s past time.
