Early one morning nine months ago, Russia invaded Ukraine. The war triggered the largest wave of refugees in Europe since World War II. So far, around 14 million Ukrainians have fled, both inside and outside the country, according to the latest statistics from UNHCR. Almost eight million have left Ukraine and made their way mainly to Germany and Poland, both of which have received over a million Ukrainians.
Until today, just under 50,000 Ukrainians have applied for asylum in Sweden, according to the Migration Agency.
One foot in Sweden and one in Ukraine. This is how many Ukrainian refugees themselves describe their situation. SVT has revisited a family, which bit by bit is building a new existence in Sweden. In Norrtälje there is everyday life and security, but also a constant stream of news about war and violence in the homeland – where dad remains.
– One night I dreamed that my father had come to Sweden and that he lived here. It was a good dream, says Alesia Zahray’s daughter Adriana to SVT’s team.
Millions of internally displaced persons
Six million Ukrainians have fled within the country. It is a group that lives in difficult conditions, according to Karolina Lindholm Billing, head of the UN agency UNHCR in Ukraine.
Of those who fled within the country, many have been without income for several months and lived in various types of temporary accommodation.
– Many internally displaced people are struggling to rebuild a life in the new place in Ukraine where they are now, she says in Aktuellt.
UNHCR works, among other things, to ensure that destroyed homes become habitable again, says Karolina Lindholm Billing. In addition, they work with so-called heating stations, where residents can warm themselves while the cold Ukrainian winter is approaching.
See the life of Alesia and her daughters in Norrtälje in the video above.