War of Ukraine Ukrainian woman says: Man is fighting against Russia, but relatives of the man’s mother do not believe that Russia has even attacked

Sundbyberg

Which day Irina Ivashchenko calls home in Ukraine to her husband, father, mother, sister and brother.

They say they are doing well, but it is hard for Ivashenko to believe that, at the same time, you can read in the news how the Russian bombings are hitting the corners of the home, most recently the nearby airport.

“They just don’t want to worry me,” he says.

She has also sent messages to her husband’s relatives living in Russia, but she has no longer received answers from them.

Ivashchenko herself is with her child in Sweden, more specifically at the Sundbyberg Municipal Immigration Service, ten kilometers from Stockholm.

The benches in the agency lobby are full of refugees from Ukraine. There have been so many of them in recent days that there has been a queue outside the agency every day since three in the morning. Now the agency has opened outlets for refugees elsewhere as well, and the pressure has eased a bit.

Outside the agency, aid organizations and individuals provide help to people: food, drink, clothing, toys, candy, advice.

“People have a great desire to help. Churches, organizations, and many people are committed to helping, ”he says Linda Stenmarkwhich distributes food at the Philadelphia Church Relief Center, which also hosts other organizations.

Wraps and breads are available today. There are also interpreters and a nurse on site for advice.

Clothes pegs bursting with winter jackets, and there is a big pile of shoes on the ground. People collect clothes in bags.

Nata Akinfijeva examines clothes and toys with her two daughters. They have come to Sweden from the city of Irpin.

The man remained, the father of the daughters, who is now fighting the Russian invasion.

But the house. It no longer exists.

“Home. It’s gone, ”says Akinfijeva in English, as the four- and five-year-olds walk on their mother’s heels with soap bubbles in their hands.

Bombed?

Akinfijeva nods.

A five-year-old holding his little sister’s hand Anastasiia Aberiaseva has already learned a little English and says:

“Home, broken.”

A Ukrainian woman examining goods next door says she can’t talk about what’s happening in Ukraine. However, he can show.

The woman digs up her phone and shows videos circulating in the media about the bombing of Russia. He shows videos of Ukrainians walking through the ruins of collapsed houses in their destroyed cities. He shows fleeing crowds.

He also fled to Sweden. The man was left to fight. The woman shows her well-groomed nails. She is a manicurist.

“I’m looking for supplies here so I can continue working here.”

Finnish Immigration Service estimates that about 4,000 Ukrainians now arrive in Sweden every day. By June, 76,000 people are expected to arrive from Ukraine, possibly more than 212,000.

Ukrainian citizens holding a biometric passport can stay in Sweden for three months without registration, so there is no information on the exact numbers of people who have entered the country. By Thursday, nearly 13,000 had sought protection along official routes.

In the initial stages, immigration authorities have accommodated people with the help of municipalities in schools, gyms and camping centers, as there are still not enough homes. However, a large number of Ukrainians have been able to arrange accommodation for themselves. Many individuals have also provided homes for refugees.

More than 3 million people have fled Ukraine, and the number of fugitives is growing every moment.

Read more: Sweden believed in eternal peace, but now it is equipped for the worst – “It’s easy to be wise”

Irina Ivashchenko soon two years old DavidThe boy is so energetic and agile that he has to sting away as soon as the eye avoids.

The mother and son fled a week ago from their small home village near Kiev. Ivashchenko says he heard the first voices of the war on the evening of February 23rd.

“I heard the explosions,” he says.

Ivashchenko’s father lives in Sweden, so they had accommodation here. The father himself traveled back to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion. Ivashenko’s man, who serves as an officer in the Ukrainian army, is also fighting.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine derailed Ivashenko’s life and has also severed ties with the man’s relatives. The mother of Ivashchenko’s officer was born in Russia, and the mother’s relatives do not accept that the son is now fighting the Russians, Ivashchenko says.

The mother’s relatives have said they do not believe Russia has even invaded Ukraine.

“They said that Ukraine started a war against Russia and that Russia would save Ukraine.”

Ivashchenko says she sent messages to her husband’s relatives on Instagram about what is happening in Ukraine. They have read the messages, but there have been no answers, he says.

And when Russia blocked Instagram and Facebook, Ivashenko could no longer connect with his Russian relatives.

“Propaganda is really strong in Russia, but yes, people there think with their own brains. They just can’t tell the truth about the war because it’s illegal, ”he says.

Concerns about the home country are strong. Ivashchenko would like to return there immediately, but now it is not possible.

“The Russian military is doing scary things in Ukraine. I can’t even talk about it. But Ukraine has a long history, the story of our people goes back centuries. The truth is on our side. ”

Irina Ivashchenko is confident that her country will be able to repel the Russian invasion. He trusts that the Crimea and the Donbas will still return to Ukraine. He is confident he could return home in a month or two.

“I love my country. I love my family and our traditions. Sweden is a really beautiful country, but this is not my country. I think we will be back soon. ”