Two months have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. About 5.1 million people have fled Ukraine to escape the war (as of 22 April by UNHCR), of which about 40,000 have entered Switzerland. Half of them are living in government-funded refugee camps, and the other half are living in ordinary families. Elena Belichel (35), a Ukrainian refugee woman, whom she met on the evening of April 22, left Irfin, Ukraine, on the morning of February 24, the day the war broke out, and arrived in Zurich, Switzerland on February 28. She said, “We hope that Koreans will find out about our situation as well,” she said, as Elina recounted her four-day escape from Ukraine and her subsequent life as a refugee in Switzerland.
When I asked for an interview at a nearby cafe, he said, “I want to serve borscht, so come home.” Elina currently lives in a family home in the village of Bar, about 30 minutes south of Zurich. Borscht is a traditional soup enjoyed in Eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Russia, and Poland. It is common that turnips (beets) are added to give it a strong red color, but the specific recipe differs from country to country and from house to house. The borscht made by Elina on this day contains turnips, carrots, onions, parsley, etc., and it was said that it was a recipe she learned from her friend’s mother. It was a soup that harmonized the sweetness of long-simmered root vegetables and the sour taste of fresh parsley. When I tried to ask the prepared question while eating, Elina said, “Let’s start eating first.” I stopped my hand trying to turn on the recorder. She emptied a bowl of borscht while talking about food.
After clearing the dishes, Elina began to talk. He was originally from Odessa, but for the past few years has lived and worked as a costume designer in Irfin, a city near the capital Kiiu. On February 23, the day before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, her friend A came to Elina’s house. A lives in Uzhhorod, western Ukraine, and was scheduled to undergo knee surgery at 7 am on February 24th by a famous doctor in Kiiu. Since the distance between Woods Horod and Kiiu is far, the day before the operation, he decided to stay for one day at Elina’s house, who lives near Kiiwu. Those who fell asleep early before an important event were woken up by the sound of a bomb on February 24 at 4 am. “Before that, rumors abounded. Whether war will actually happen or when the Russian army will attack… While we were worried, we were living as we always did. But that morning, the war started.” A, who woke up to the sound of a bomb, went to the hospital at 7 am, the reservation time, just in case. The doctor didn’t show up. A and Elina knew the situation was serious and packed their bags. At 9 a.m., Elina got into A’s car with two of her friends who were designing clothes together.
The problem was oil. The destination is Uzhor Road, western Ukraine, where A lives, which normally takes 10 hours by car. Fortunately, Elina and the man who lives in the same building have a stockpile of oil in case of an emergency. He bought oil from him, loaded it into the car, and went out on the road. The town of Irfin was a mess. “The road is full of cars, but all the gas stations are closed. People without cars or without gas were walking with luggage. They said they were walking blindly to the west holding children’s hands. I was so scared. Everyone was in a panic. There have been many car accidents.” Ukrainian soldiers checked documents and bags at checkpoints everywhere. Elina and her friends arrived at Woods Horod in 20 hours, twice the usual time.
As soon as Elina arrived in Uzhorod, she called her family and friends in her hometown of Odessa. Elina’s grandmother, her uncle and her aunt in her Odessa decided not to move for now. A bomb was dropped on a military base 10 km away from her grandmother’s house, but the Russian military is not currently nearby, so it means that we will wait a little longer. Three of Elina’s acquaintances in Odessa, with children, came to Uzhorod. They gathered all the oil they had and rode together in one car and traveled over 1,000 km. “A gas station in Odessa limits the amount of oil sold per person to 20 liters. A lot of gas stations were closed, and there were a lot of people who wanted to leave but couldn’t because they had to use oil again to find an open place.” The three families, who came in the same car, had three children, including four adult males, four females and an 8-month-old baby.
Parting families just called each other names
On the morning of February 27, Elena and her three family went to the Chov train station on the Hungarian border. The train from Chof to Jahoni, Hungary was scheduled to arrive at 1pm, but the train actually arrived at 6pm after the delay. After holding her breath for a moment, Elina recalled the time. “The train had very large windows,” she said. Four men were standing on the platform, five women (including myself) and three children were on the train. With a large window in the middle, we continued to look at each other and call our names until the train left. I’m not saying anything special, just keep calling. These men were the fathers of the children on the train, the husbands of the women. When the train left, no one could predict when they would see each other again. It was a moment that will forever be a scar for everyone.” Currently, men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine.
Elina and her group traveled to Krakow, Poland in a minivan of an acquaintance from Jahoni, Hungary. The total length is 389 km and it takes more than 5 hours by car. I went to Krakow because some of the party had relatives there. Except for those who went to relatives, there were three people left: Elina, B, and B’s 12-year-old son. B had an older sister living in Switzerland. With a B hat going to her older sister, Eleanor also boarded a flight to Switzerland. “When I left Irphine’s house with her friend, I had no plans,” she said. The only thought was that we should avoid dangerous places. I was traveling with other people, and I accidentally went here and there.”
On the night of February 28, four days after leaving home, Elina arrived at Zurich Airport in Switzerland. She stayed with B’s family for the first few days, but her house was cramped and she couldn’t keep going. This is because the Swiss government has a regulation that a certain amount of space must be secured per person when refugees go to their homes. She joined a telegram chat room called ‘Zurich helps Ukraine’. This is a chat room for Ukrainian refugees and Zurich residents. This is where she asked Elina if she had someone to accept her, and Natalia reached out her hand. Natalia is from Belarus and lives with her English husband, her children. She speaks with Eli and she speaks Russian.
The Swiss government manages Ukrainian refugees more closely than other European countries. Thorough management means not accepting refugees blindly, but strictly examining whether they are refugees from Ukraine who actually escaped the war before registering them on the computer network. Refugees who pass the screening are granted an ‘S visa’. With this one-year visa, you can find and work in Switzerland. Registered refugees receive about 500 Swiss Francs (approx. Government facilities have fewer cash aids because snacks are provided free of charge. In addition, 3,000 Swiss francs (about 3.9 million won) per refugee will be provided for language learning expenses. This is because refugees need language skills to find work and to adapt well to Swiss society.
“I hope Koreans don’t forget the ‘real emotion’”
Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Although it varies from city to city, the minimum cost of living per person is approximately 1,000 to 1,500 Swiss francs (about 1.3 million to 2 million won). Currently, refugee aid funds are far short of this. There are centers distributing donated items (food, hygiene products, clothes, medicines, etc.) to refugees all over the city, and on the days of distributing items once a week, long lines form in front of these centers from dawn. Because it is impossible to live a basic life with subsidies alone, it is an unstable situation that has to depend on donations. To get out of this, you have to learn a language and find a job, but the decision has been made to support the cost of language learning, but the implementation has not yet started. Since Ukraine is not a member of the European Union (EU), professional qualifications such as teachers and doctors do not work in Europe. Even if I put out my resume and go to an interview, I’m worried about transportation costs right away. Women refugees with young children cannot even afford to find work. Fortunately, Elena found a job. From 19 August she agreed to assist in the making of costumes at a theater in Zurich. The reason I found a job relatively quickly was that making clothes was a job that required specialized skills, even if I didn’t speak German. Not all refugees are as lucky as Elina.
What do the suffering people of Ukraine think about President Volodymyr Zelensky (hereafter omitted)? Elina’s voice rose. “Zelensky is the current Ukrainian hero. He’s not one to be denigrated as a comedian president. He showed his analytical skills and leadership by creating and leading a group of comedians, and he grew up with his military father and knows the military and war very well. Unlike other politicians, Zelensky treated his people like his own family and put his livelihood first. The minimum wage for his teachers has gone up, and he has made life easier with the digital movement.”
Finally, we asked if there was anything you would like to say to the Korean readers who will see this interview article. Elina said, “I am well aware that Korea is an IT powerhouse. But aside from new technologies, there are things that people should not forget.” “It’s the ‘real feeling’ of helping, love and solidarity,” she said. If we don’t have real feelings that connect us, whether it’s a couple, family, or me, it’s easy to break up. I don’t want Koreans to forget their true feelings. If there are people around the world who help us, I believe that Ukraine will be able to rebuild itself soon after the war.”
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