BUTŠA There are four gray barracks built from plastic elements in the yard of the Butšalain elementary school. It is bright and warm inside, frankly too warm.
– We heat as much as possible when there is electricity, because when there is no electricity, the houses get cold quickly. There is no foundation, the houses stand directly on the cold soil, explains the complex’s property manager Tetjana.
The houses were built in the summer for migrants inside Ukraine with the help of the Poles. About a hundred people live in four houses, among them 17 children. There are 27 people registered in Tetjana’s house.
– Those who came from Kherson, Mariupol or other occupied areas live in barracks permanently, as do those who lost their homes in Butša. For others, a bed or a room is reserved, but they may go to live elsewhere sometimes, Tetjana explains.
Lack of electricity as a problem for residents
Tetjana presents her own barracks: showers, toilets and housekeeping facilities at the ends, kitchen and children’s playroom in the middle.
– There are computers in the playroom for children’s distance learning, but they cannot be used during power outages. Nothing really comes of studying.
Power outages torment the residents of the house the most. Without electricity, life becomes significantly more difficult.
– When there is no electricity, the houses are cold and damp, the mattresses rot. It is very cold when sleeping, and the bed is very damp.
Russia has continued its missile and drone attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine in recent days. The weather was favorable for Ukraine in the New Year. Temperatures of over ten degrees were measured throughout the country. It’s going to be cold now.
– If the temperature drops to ten degrees below zero or lower, you can’t stay here for more than two hours. When you lie in the bunk bed at the top, water condensed on the ceiling drips down your neck.
– Once we had no electricity for three days after the Russian attack. We got really cold, the kids started getting sick. Fortunately, they brought us heaters and warm tea, it helped at least somewhat.
The kitchen serves as a gathering place for adults. Since the electric stove cannot be used when there is no electricity, social services and voluntary organizations deliver ready-made food to the residents.
The living rooms have two bunk beds, which means that they can accommodate a maximum of four people. Families of two or three people live in their own rooms, single people are made to live together.
Living together goes without problems for the most part.
– We are all different by nature, so different situations arise. We are all traumatized by the war, but in the end we come to an understanding. However, we are grateful that we even have a place to live – and even for free.
Residents depend on the help of social services and voluntary organizations
Tetjana herself moved into the modular house at the end of September and soon started housekeeping.
– As a property manager, I take care of all the paperwork related to the houses, such as registrations. I receive humanitarian aid, distribute bed linen and monitor public order.
In a few months, everyday life started rolling, but Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have made life difficult.
– Basically, we have everything we need to live, maybe a more efficient generator and a couple of refrigerators are missing. A 200 kilowatt generator is unfortunately not enough for all houses, says Tetjana.
There is always a need for hygiene items in houses, for example diapers for adults and children. The nearest store is around the corner, but residents don’t always have enough money for basic necessities, so they depend on outside help.
– Not all residents go to work. Some are unable to work, some just can’t find work, says Tetjana.
The social service helps in the job search. Jobs for the residents have been found, for example, at local construction sites and heating stations. One such point was set up in December directly next to the modular houses.
“We are not always welcome abroad”
Because of the Russian attacks, the leadership of Ukraine has prompted (you switch to another service)those Ukrainians who have the opportunity to spend the winter abroad. Many European countries is being prepared (you switch to another service) to a new wave of refugees from Ukraine.
Despite the difficult living conditions, Tetjana does not plan to leave, and she has not heard that anyone else wants to leave either.
– I already have experience as a refugee. Here we have rights, here we can do anything, there we are strangers and not always welcome.
In the spring, Tetjana had to flee abroad with her seriously ill mother from the town of Slovyansk in the Donetsk region. In Poland, they were directed to Italy. It was promised that Tetjana’s mother would receive good care there, but it turned out differently.
– My mother has mitral valve stenosis. In Italy, he was hardly cared for at all. We have a good heart specialist here.
Offers have come from several countries, including Estonia.
– The Estonian volunteers and the Estonian church have said that they can take us to Estonia at any time, but for now I would like to stay here.
Tetjana has decided to move inside Ukraine first, if the situation in Bucha becomes impossible.
– Before 2022, it was safe to go to other parts of Ukraine from Eastern Ukraine. Now the war is on a large scale and nowhere is safe. But you get used to everything, and here at least I have more human dignity than as a refugee in Europe.
Hope lives on despite the difficulties
Tetjana is from eastern Ukraine, Donetsk region. For him and his family, the war started already in 2014.
– When there were fierce battles, my 13-year-old son woke up in the middle of the night imagining planes, grenades and missiles flying above us, even though it was quiet outside.
Now Tetjana’s son is studying IT in England, and the mother can rest easy, at least in terms of the fact that the child is safe.
Tetjana’s husband has been in a Donetsk prison since 2017, because the family that remained in the occupied territory supported Ukraine. Tetjana herself was able to escape to the most controlled region of Ukraine and settled with her son and mother in Slovyansk.
Slovjansk is located near the front. It is regularly fired upon and it is not safe to live there.
– Slovjansk is like a red garment for Russians.
Tetjana has a non-governmental organization called Return Home. Through it, he and other prisoners’ relatives try to influence the release of political prisoners in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. She does everything she can to add her husband’s name to the prisoner exchange list. So far, Russia has not wanted to hand over the man.
Despite the difficult experiences, the hope for a better life lives on tenaciously in Tetjana.
– Time heals or at least teaches to overcome difficulties. I hope our family can be together soon and we will remember everything like a nightmare.
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