Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Germany since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The number officially registered is over 300,000. There are also in the old capital Bonn, where they are first registered in the municipality, and then provided with addresses of services to which to go. Tatiana, 40, a former supermarket manager, came with her two daughters, her sister, and her children. Five-year-old Vovka is the youngest of them. Everyone around him admires how he managed to endure the long journey.
We are from Zaporizhzhia (Zaporozhye) and we managed to leave Ukraine very quickly – trains travel often, evacuate people centrally and organized, it was not difficult. We left on March 11, but I know that evacuation is possible now – my friend left recently. Many people are leaving. because they are afraid, the explosions are very many – the sirens are constantly heard, we are afraid to even sleep at night. We are afraid to go out, even if there are no active hostilities. Children cry, refuse to eat, and stress is constant – because of the constant need to flee to the bomb shelters. In one night the sirens can sound 3-4 times and make people rush to the shelters. All this is very scary and that’s why the one who can, leaves. ”
“There was nowhere to stay in Poland”
Tatiana herself left her husband in Ukraine. “Our men stayed in Ukraine. The good thing about everything is that we have the opportunity to hear from each other regularly.” And how did Germany choose?
“We didn’t choose Germany, it was important for us to go somewhere. We arrived in Poland first, but there are too many people – there was no way to stay, there was no way to find a place to settle. We were told – if you have the opportunity and if you endure, travel on, choose where to go. There are buses and trains, there are many volunteers who help. In Poland, they are a great help to refugees. As soon as we crossed the border on March 11, which happened at night and it was very cold They immediately gave us blankets, hot food, tea, and sweets for the children. They also gave them toys, and although it was a matter of basic trifles, the children were so happy – they hugged the toys to themselves as if seeing something like this for the first time, “he said. Tatiana continues:
“We were accommodated in a distribution center where there was food, you could go to the toilet, there was a medical center. There were a lot of people – we had to sleep on the floor where mattresses were placed. And although it was calm and not cold, no We could stay forever. We have friends in the Czech Republic with whom we spoke several times, but they never managed to find us a place for two days. They told us: “There are so many people that we can’t help you.” they had sheltered their relatives and had no place for us. And their advice was – go somewhere farther. ”
“That’s how we ended up in Bonn”
Tatiana, her sister, and their children decided to go to Germany. “We took the bus and came. The bus was voluntary, it took us to Berlin. It was sent by a bus company that was ready to pay for our hotel stay in Berlin for two weeks. We stayed there for a week and left for Bochum.” At the local center for the distribution of Ukrainian refugees in camps in German cities, we lived in such a camp in Bonn for two weeks and now that we have been registered in the municipality, we have a new address to go to. there – we go to the unknown. ”
And do they want to return to Ukraine quickly – or would they like to stay longer in Germany? “This is not a request – for now, we need to calm down there, no more bombs. Once they stop, we will return,” says Tatiana. She and her family continue on their way to one of the neighborhoods of Bonn, where their next home is located. They carry only the essentials, and part of it are two play balls for little Vovka.
