FROM IGNORANCE TO SOLIDARITY
The untold stories of Ukrainians in the Czech Republic
February 2023 marks the first anniversary of an unforeseen intervention on European land. A savage invasion fuelled by an ingrained dispute that escalated into a full-scale war. The event has touched millions of lives to date and impacted the entire world, endangering the democratic principles and values of modern society.
February 24th marked one year since the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine.
The sudden escalations caused a mass influx of refugees to Europe, presumably the greatest and fastest in at least three decades.
To date, worldwide authorities inform over 8.2 million Ukrainian refugees have flown the war to Europe, with reports forecasting ‘a possible second wave’ in 2023. This violent act forced millions to abandon their homes with nothing but prayers for a quick resolution. Despite the ongoing situation, Ukrainian hope persists – but it is becoming weaker every day.
European countries granting temporary protection to fleeing Ukrainians (via Eurostat, 2023).
European countries granting temporary protection to fleeing Ukrainians (via Eurostat, 2023).
“We came to believe there is no end.”
“We’re like ‘Okay, give it one more month, one more week. Something will happen in June. The war will end in September’,” says Tetiana Babchuk, a Ukrainian beauty entrepreneur who lives with her son and relatives in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. Her mother, Olena, gives her an instant look of disagreement. She thinks quite the opposite.
Tetiana and her mother share what the Babchuk family has been going through after fleeing Ukraine.
“We need to get used to reality, accept our home is where our family is and find the support and power in ourselves.”
I meet Tetiana and Olena on a rainy December afternoon in the city centre where the Babchuk family is now staying. Tetiana, who has lived in the Czech Republic for most of her life, recalls moving to Prague long before the war – around the age of twelve, to be exact, nearly what her son Oleksandr is now.
Tetiana’s son Oleksandr in their family house in Kyiv (courtesy of Tetiana Babchuk).
Tetiana’s son Oleksandr in their family house in Kyiv (courtesy of Tetiana Babchuk).
Olena and her grandson Oleksandr spending time together (courtesy of Tetiana Babchuk).
Olena and her grandson Oleksandr spending time together (courtesy of Tetiana Babchuk).
Completing two terms in Czech secondary school helped young Tetiana spot the vast gaps in the Ukrainian education system and realise the opportunities abroad. Years after returning to her native Kyiv, she decided to move back, enrolling in the Prague University of Management and Business in Jindrichuv Hradec.
“My parents wanted a better life for me, which was truly hard to ensure in Kyiv back then,” she explains. Now almost twenty years later, Prague has become her second home. To her family, however, the city feels distant.
HELL ON EARTH
Olena and the rest of the Babchuk family joined her daughter only over a year ago, leaving Ukraine in late February 2022. In the first week of the war, she recalls shotguns fired across Kyiv and her husband’s morning calls from Poland, where he runs a cable installation business. Scared to death, she always smiled on the phone, trying to have a bright outlook.
Olena with her husband and grandson during the festive season in Kyiv (courtesy of Tetiana Babchuk).
Olena with her husband and grandson during the festive season in Kyiv (courtesy of Tetiana Babchuk).
With March approaching, Olena was at the end of her tether. Family advised her to leave the city, but deep in her mind, Olena knew there was ‘no place such home’.
“When he called, I couldn’t hold back the tears. The situation got too challenging.”
The Babchuks’ last Christmas in Kyiv before the war (courtesy of Tetiana Babchuk).
The Babchuks’ last Christmas in Kyiv before the war (courtesy of Tetiana Babchuk).
Accepting their current situation, the Babchuk family slowly adapted to the new environment. According to Olena, however, the integration would never be this easy without the help they received. “We're absolutely shocked to find out the country would treat us this way. To be honest – we had no expectations and counted on ourselves only.”
“Czechs are among the very few nations that welcomed so many Ukrainians and still treat us the same way.”
The Czech Republic has, indeed, reacted to the mass influx quite swiftly. Introducing Lex Ukraine in March 2022, the three government bills targeted essential measures to support fleeing Ukrainians.
According to the latest press release by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, the state has already granted temporary protection to over 504 thousand Ukrainians (including the roughly one-third that have returned to Ukraine ever since).
Among the European countries, the Czech Republic hosts the most Ukrainian refugees per capita and continues to help those affected – with the broad public involved in particular. The sudden compassion was something Tetiana (and perhaps many others) ‘didn't expect’, recalling her previous bitter experience in the nineties.
Tetiana speaks of her experience living among Czechs, comparing the pre-war situation with the current public mood.
RESHAPING THE POST-SOVIET SOCIETY
Historical circumstances and social development under the Soviet Union certainly influenced how Czech society perceived refugees in the past, reacting to immigration and multiculturalism in a rather negative way.
Looking back at the impacts of the financial crisis in 2009, the low employment rate and unstable economic situation raised questions about foreigners and their percentual representation in the domestic labour market. Since the European migrant crisis in 2015, however, refugees have been perceived as less likely to signify competition to local job seekers.
Many Czechs started to believe migrants are the only solution to supplying much-needed positions, plugging gaps in the labour market. Despite the growing positive shift, however, research conducted by STEM Institute Prague in 2018 only proved most of the public (71%) still feared refugees who intended to remain in the country.
FROM CLOSED MINDS TO COLLECTIVE SUPPORT
Since February 2022, however, Czech nationals have reacted to incoming refugees with extraordinary interest. The public suddenly became massively engaged in raising money through donations, volunteering, offering free accommodation, material help, financial assistance and more.
The escalation of events significantly shifted the public perception of migrants. But can we truly understand the mood as an act of kindness fuelled by one's humanity or a steadily formed hatred towards Russia as a remembrance of the Soviet Union's totalitarian regime in former Czechoslovakia?
“I couldn’t stop following the news – on my phone, on the TV… I felt apart.”
In the case of Petra, standing with Ukraine was never a matter of question. Learning about the news in February last year, the 28-year-old prison psychologist from Ledec nad Sazavou instantly felt a genuine need to help those affected, no matter what. “I couldn't stop following the news – on my phone, on the TV… I felt apart.”, she tells me. “One of the first ideas I had was to go there.”
Van cars packed with emergency materials before leaving for Ukraine (courtesy of Jana Vavrova).
Van cars packed with emergency materials before leaving for Ukraine (courtesy of Jana Vavrova).
Searching for non-profit organisations and other means of organised help for several days, Petra finally found the right person to speak to. Connecting through social media with a local volunteer, she and dozens of others organised a charity event in her hometown, gathering sleeping bags, duvets, baby food and other essential material. Stacking up their cars, volunteers headed off to Ukraine – except for Petra, whose family dissuaded her from doing so.
The missed opportunity, however, only encouraged her to keep going. Her sister-in-law connected Petra with a refugee camp in Humenne in Eastern Slovakia, from where she joined volunteers in Sobrance, less than 12 kilometres to Slovakia-Ukraine borders, ‘giving out food and hygiene products to refugees’.
Petra describes her journey to the town of Sobrance near the Slovakia-Ukrainian borders where she volunteered at a local refugee camp.
“The cooperation of people who had never met before, strangers with no idea what they were doing there, worked just perfectly.”
Volunteering close to Slovakia-Ukrainian borders brought Petra to several situations she would never forget. Helping in one of the emergency tents, she met dozens of strangers with the same vision – to ease the suffering of those crossing the borders. Petra speaks of the astonishing collective effort of all volunteers and the individual help that ‘truly struck her’.
Petra shares the astonishing story of a middle-aged French man who left for Ukraine without a single thought, only to get involved.
TWO SIDES TO THE SAME COIN
Petra keeps a vivid image of Eduard Heger, the former Prime Minister of Slovakia, and his several official appearances that ‘worked well for [his] marketing’ but lacked any signs of efforts to improve the refugee situation. She points out the unused power in the hands of the state, which ‘had no idea how to treat this problem’.
“I witnessed the Slovak Prime Minister bringing his security team that pushed people back so he could safely walk through the crowd.”
The map of Petra’s eight-hour drive to Sobrance with stops in Havlickuv Brod and Humenne.
The map of Petra’s eight-hour drive to Sobrance with stops in Havlickuv Brod and Humenne.
Instead, the government aimed to relocate volunteers to nearby Michalovce and take over the supply coordination in Sobrance. However, this would mean completely excluding non-profit organisations from the process. She found such efforts pointless, recalling the service of the first response teams in the refugee camp, which Petra describes as ‘truly disappointing’.
“When getting water supplies from the nearby water pump, no soldier, nor police officer helped us out… They see women carrying six barrels full of water but refuse to offer their hand.”, she tells me.
Emergency tents awaiting fleeing refugees in Sobrance (courtesy of Petra Jerabkova).
Emergency tents awaiting fleeing refugees in Sobrance (courtesy of Petra Jerabkova).
UNDER STRANGER'S WINGS
Volunteering is only a tiny segment of the much influential impact Petra has been making so far. Before leaving Slovakia, she witnessed a six-year-old child crossing the border alone, waiting for her mother stuck in the queue.
At that very moment, the idea of taking refugees along to the Czech Republic rose in her mind. Hours later, trying to fit in their eight-seat car, Petra and her friend left for home with new passengers – Katya, Natalya and their five children.
Throughout the nearly nine-hour journey, Petra and the Ukrainians established a deep connection that lasted more than one ride.
Petra, her Czech friend and the Ukrainian families leaving for the Czech Republic (courtesy of Petra Jerabkova).
Petra, her Czech friend and the Ukrainian families leaving for the Czech Republic (courtesy of Petra Jerabkova).
As the families settled in a flat owned by Petra’s relatives, the young professional stayed in constant touch with both mothers, advising them to seek other means of support through non-profit organisations; for instance, at the local Czech Red Cross office.
Ilona Louzecka, the director of the Czech Red Cross Regional Association Office in Havlickuv Brod, explains how the office coped with the sudden wave of migrants in February last year.
But it took only a couple of months until both families returned to Ukraine due to an uneasy integration of their children in the unfamiliar environment. Now Petra stays in touch with Natalya only.
“She texts me about the horrific things [in Ukraine], but at this point, she would never go to Czechia again.”, Petra tells me, explaining the mother’s decision to leave the safety behind for the sake of her children’s mental well-being.
Petra speaks about the difficulties Natalya’s teenage daughter faced when adapting to a brand-new life abroad.
INTEGRATION OF THE YOUTH
The adaptation of Ukrainian refugees has been among the several amendments carefully reviewed in Lex Ukraine. With the set of bills declaring the automatic right to study for the Ukrainian youth, kindergartens, schools, and universities made necessary changes to increase their capacities fast.
Incoming refugees can first join adaptation courses financed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS; MSMT in Czech) during the first 90 days of their stay in the Czech Republic. Once they join regular lessons, however, they individually integrate into regular Czech classes. Instead of creating homogenous Ukrainian groups, this blending method is supposed to have the most efficient outcome.
According to Jaroslav Stastny, the integration has been quite successful so far. The headmaster of the primary and secondary schools in Ledec nad Sazavou says that most of the Ukrainian children swiftly adapted to the new environment but stressed the process was also very individual.
Stastny says the praises go to the school staff, who have worked with high dedication to go ‘above and beyond’. Following the Recovery and Resilience plan in response to the previous covid crisis, the school also received extra financial support to require a special school assistant to support Ukrainian children in the class.
Stastny believes the Ukrainian pupils have adapted to their new life among Czechs quite well.
LIFE SHARED WITH STRANGERS
After over a year of ongoing conflict, the government is questioning the long-term refugee adaptation to elevate their life in the Czech Republic. Research shows one of the easiest ways to do so is by sharing accommodation with local households.
Hosting Ukrainians has certainly been one of the most atypical and unexpected yet oddly beautiful gestures seen in the modern history of the Czech Republic – thanks to the initiative of non-governmental organisations such as Refugees Welcome, which helped both parties to make things work out smoothly.
Established in reaction to the Syrian migrant crisis in 2014, Refugees Welcome set a goal to disrupt social bridges between native residents and immigrants and to find suitable accommodation for those in need instead of living in substandard conditions.
The organisation first connects residents with refugees through the application process. Local administrators then set up an initial meeting with potential matches where both parties get to know each other. If their preferences meet, the tenancy agreement is signed on the spot.
Stepan Vashkevich, the platform coordinator for the Czech Republic, describes how the project helps migrants find private accommodation in Czech households.
Although living in private households was proven to help refugees avoid exclusion from society, the project never received its deserved praise. One of the key reasons for such results was, in fact, the negative outlook on migrants that Czech society had back in 2014.
This suddenly changed in spring 2022 – Vashkevich mentions the platform recorded the highest peak ‘immediately after the beginning of the war’, but since then has steadily decreased. Despite receiving only around five to ten applications from refugees per day, the platform assistants keep their hard work to ensure safe accommodation for any asylum seeker.
“Those who wanted to offer help already did so.”
However, the current demand does not equal the number of accommodations offered. Due to the current housing crisis in Prague, where the platform operates, the office receives roughly one to two applications every week. Its outreach, limited to the location of the capital city, happened to be another reason why the office could not proceed with several applications in the past.
Vashkevich’s colleagues are also becoming sceptical about the general will to help. “They think those, who wanted to offer help, already did so. This might be true, but I still believe we have some opportunities left.”
Whether or not the Ukrainians remain in the Czech Republic is only a matter of question, which also concerns other European countries dealing with the exact situation.
In an interview with the news agency Interfax-Ukraine in December 2022, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal predicted the return of up to 90% of displaced Ukrainians from spring 2023. Two months later, the British Foreign Office reported some Ukrainians, indeed, started returning home despite the unpredictable war situation. Struggling to meet their ends due to rising prices across the United Kingdom, some also faced acute risks of becoming homeless.
The latest analysis by Czech broadcaster CT24 examining several research studies only confirmed the endless hopes of Ukrainians to return to their homeland. Around 37% of Ukrainian migrants who fled to the Czech Republic want to return home whilst roughly the same number plan to either remain in the country or stay and frequently visit Ukraine; one-fifth have not decided yet.
Tetiana and Olena speak about their current situation linked to Olena’s husband’s job and the family’s hopes of returning to their native Kyiv.
Following the Czech president's latest visit to Eastern Ukraine, however, the Czech Republic continues to support the displaced Ukrainian citizens, extending their temporary protection until March 2024. Latest reports by the news agency Hospodarske Noviny have also shown a rising proportion of full-time workers among Ukrainians who are challenging the language barrier and education recognition.
The Ukrainian flag with a ‘Hands off Ukraine, Putin!’ logo hanging on the Church of the Holy Saviour facade in Prague's historical city centre.
The Ukrainian flag with a ‘Hands off Ukraine, Putin!’ logo hanging on the Church of the Holy Saviour facade in Prague's historical city centre.
THE EDITOR'S NOTE
Despite the past ethnic stereotypes associated with the Czech Republic, I felt amazed whilst investigating this positive social shift. Ashamed of my nationality in the past due to hate and xenophobic behaviour rooted in the society I grew up in, I now feel proud to be Czech more than ever.
The incredible wave of support towards Ukrainians was an act of deep solidarity that I never expected to happen, and it truly moved me. Witnessing the fleeing refugees supported by ‘my own’ raised many questions; I was eager to hear people out and find the reason behind it all. Although I still believe the anti-Russia anger engraved in Czech hearts pushed the public to help, the main force came as a simple act of compassion. Sign of pure humanity. And as we Czechs like to say – a friend in need is a friend indeed.
VIKTORIE BREZINOVA
2023
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