Months ago, Sofía Okhrimenko was worrying about solving equations in her first year of Mathematics at a university in Lviv, Ukraine, but its responsibilities changed radically with the warthat unexpectedly banished to Brazil Along with two of his younger brothers.
“I feel responsible, my parents trust me and my brothers too,” this 18-year-old girl, now in charge of taking care of the 16-year-old twins Valeria and Vladyslav, tells AFP, more than 10,000 kilometers from her home and from His parents.
“I try to do the best I can,” he says, making an effort with English, Sofía, with white skin and blonde hair, in a hall of the church that welcomed them in Sao Jose dos Camposin the interior of São Paulo.
His parents, in normal times a teacher and a furniture salesman, volunteer at a temple in the Ukraine, helping people who are homeless or without food. With them is the youngest of her children, 4 years old.
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The family was divided when the three brothers left at the end of March without a return date to this industrial city in Brazil, a destination unthinkable under other circumstances.
They arrived in a group of 33 Ukrainians, made up of women, children, teenagers and the elderly. They were received by a church of evangelical worship, a member of an international network, which offers them free apartments and donations from the faithful.
The warmer temperature and the especially blue sky on this day comfort Valeria. But he highlights above all “the safety” of the place, away from missiles and bombing in his country.
Although she thinks of her loved ones in the midst of these dangers, she remains optimistic: “Praying in this calm atmosphere is very reassuring. I believe that God is helping them and giving them strength and hope,” says the teenager in Russian, the second language of Ukraine. .
The most earthly challenge that Valeria faces these days is waking up at dawn to attend virtual classes at her school in Ukraine, she says.
Somewhat sleepy at the beginning of the afternoon, she writes in her notebook phrases in Portuguese that she repeats in chorus with her countrymen in class to insert herself into the new environment.
While waiting to return, Valeria even aspires to make some dreams come true: “Get to know the sea and, perhaps, climb a mountain,” she says with a smile.
uncertainty and hope
Some 5.5 million people left Ukraine because of the war with Russia, according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. Most of them fled to Poland (more than 3 million) and other Eastern European countries.
No Latin American country is among the main destinations for refugees. A Brazil A small minority arrived: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted 141 humanitarian visas until last Thursday.
They are found mainly in cities of Paraná (south), where the largest community of Ukrainian descent in Brazil lives; Minas Gerais (southeast) and São Paulo (east).
“We miss Ukraine, but here we feel good and safe, we feel love,” Ihor Nekhaev, 62, the only adult man in the group in Sao Jose, told AFP.
The Ukrainian government has banned men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving. Among them, his eldest son, Nikolai (40), who was a distributor of mineral water and now rescues people and collects bodies in hotspots of the conflict.
“We are scared for him,” says Svetlana, 60, Ihor’s wife, dressed in a gray cotton garment she collected from among the donations.
News about the war fills the screen in the living room of the apartment where the couple has settled in with a daughter and two teenage grandchildren, lost in their cell phones.
“We think about going back when it’s all over, but we don’t know if we will have a place to return to. The Donetsk region (east), where our city is located, is being destroyed,” laments the woman.
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The couple had already left their home in 2014, in the midst of a separatist insurgency. Like that time, they resign themselves to waiting.
“Every day brings something new and interesting learning,” says Svetlana, hoping that “the war will end soon and Ukraine will bounce back for the better.”
Ihor nods. Surprised by the host country, he is fascinated by the colors of the recently celebrated carnival.
“I will always carry Brazil in my heart,” he says.
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