Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Ukrainians in SA tell of horror
WHEN she left for Ukraine earlier this week, Victoria Field had no idea she would be preparing to live in a now war-torn city.
Field also had no inkling of the possibility that her son would be called up to fight for the Ukrainian army. Field lives in Gqeberha with her husband, but left for her home country earlier this week.
Ukraine has been besieged since Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the go-ahead for a full-scale invasion of the neighbouring country this week. A number of nations have condemned the military attacks.
Field has gathered food supplies, a fire extinguisher and oxygen masks for survival. “My husband is very worried. We arrived at the airport in Ukraine (from) Brisbane Airport on February 23 and the war started in the early hours on Thursday. “At 6am on the morning of February 24, a neighbour knocked on my door and said the war had started.
“We heard about a possible air attack and people outside are expecting danger and they are hiding underground, under their homes. From my apartment, I can hear very heavy shelling, that is over another area which the Russians are trying to capture.”
Field said at the shops, where she stocked up on supplies, people were quiet and serious and there were no long queues. “I have bought a fire extinguisher and oxygen respirators, food for a few days and water. Many were prepared and war is not new here; it has already been going on for eight years.
“My son, 25, was serving as a soldier in the Ukrainian army a few years ago. He is an experienced soldier and is with family now and waiting on a call for mobilisation for services.“
Olena Polovchenko, who moved from Ukraine to Cape Town six years ago, has told of how people prepared for conflict.
“I lost my home to the events of 2014, and what is happening in Ukraine is similar, just more open aggression. I’ve lived in South Africa for five and a half years. I was in shock. But all of us deep inside knew this was coming since November. You could kind of see the plan, where everything was heading. But we were just true believers and hoped it would never get this bad.”
She said her relatives there were living in a state of panic. “We knew something was going to happen. I am in contact with my family and friends and trying to get all the latest information, because there is so much fake news.
“People are running to the pharmacy and banks. I tried to do banking but Ukraine stopped international transfers. People can still draw money from the ATM and there are queues and many bank branches are closed. Schools have closed, kindergartens are closed.”
Zoia Dei also lives in Cape Town and is worried about her brother and other relatives. “Early this morning I woke up, because my phone didn’t stop ringing … We are in almost constant contact with them. They talk about constant explosions, Russian tanks travelling around the city, the sounds of sirens and machine guns.”
President of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa (Uaza), Olesya Loubser, said: “We are a Ukrainian Association that unites Ukrainians living in this country and works towards establishing ties and protecting democracy and sovereignty of the country. We condemn the attack of Russia on Ukraine.”
The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) said the South African Embassy in Ukraine was helping South African citizens there.
“The South African government calls for a peaceful resolution of the escalating conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The Republic of South Africa is dismayed at the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. We regret that the situation has deteriorated despite calls for diplomacy to prevail. South Africa emphasises respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.”
Dirco added that South Africa called on the UN Security Council to play its role in the search for peace. “The South African Embassy in Kyiv is monitoring developments closely and is also assisting South African nationals in Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian Association of South Africa held a peaceful protest at the Russian Consulate in Cape Town, to offer their voice in condemnation of Russia’s decision to recognise the “Russia-controlled terrorist organisations of the so-called Luhansk and Donetsk ‘people’s republics’”. They said citing such a step was another act of aggression against Ukraine.
Among the protesters was Ukrainian citizen Yana Semenyuk, who has been in South Africa for eight years.
“I never thought I would live in an era where I see our nation go through such events. I only read books and now I see my family and friends looking for shelter and succumbing to harsh realities due to ambitious people in power,” said Semenyuk.
Mila Ivanova, a Russian citizen, offered her support to the protesters at the entrance of the Russian Consulate of Cape Town. Ivanova said that living in the 21st century, such atrocities should not have to happen again.
“I feel for my Ukrainian friends and what they are going through. Having lived in a country where I see democracy play out is okay, despite some challenges. I know there is room to make peace; all it needs is unity, and that is why I am here to offer my support.”
Uaza spokesperson, Dzvinka Kachur, called for economic co-operation with Russia to cease, with regard to co-operation or procurement in the nuclear sector. Kachur said the South African government should allow families of Ukrainian citizens living in South Africa to invite their families to visit, visa free, for the duration of the conflict.
“In a world that is still fighting poverty and facing climate change, it is quite sad that Putin still finds the place for ‘historical claims’ while there are bigger fish to fry and greater battles to fight. That’s why we stand here today with Ukrainians around the world to defend and fight for the freedom of our homeland,” said Kachur.
Alexander Arefiev, the spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in Pretoria, told IOL yesterday: “First of all, it’s not an invasion. It is a special military operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine and to protect the civilians of Donbas and Luhansk People’s Republics and the Donetsk People’s Republic, who have been bombarded and killed, literally slaughtered by the Kyiv regime for eight years already.
“Russia had to intervene, not because we want to intervene, but we had to as a peacekeeping operation, just to keep the civilians in Donbas safe and keep Ukrainians safe from the Nazis. We take it very seriously because, unfortunately, the current Ukrainian government – the Kyiv regime – openly supports neo-Nazis and the rise of Nazis in Ukraine.”