In Moldova, Nina, 83, and Xenia, 3 months old, are neighbours on the same corridor in a refugee accommodation centre. Both have been made refugees by the war in Ukraine. Like millions of others, they remain unable to return home this winter. Photo: UK for UNHCR / Nikola Ivanovski
Our CEO, Emma Cherniavsky, met with Ukrainian refugees in Moldova as the world marked 1,000 days since the full scale invasion of their homeland. She shares their stories and her reflections on the power we all have to ensure refugees are not forgotten this winter.
Nina is 83 years old. When Russia’s full-scale invasion began, she initially didn’t want to leave her home in eastern Ukraine. Nina told me she prayed she would die after her home was destroyed.
I met Nina last week in Moldova, at a refugee accommodation centre barely 40 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Just along the corridor at the same shelter, I also met a beautiful baby, three-month-old Xenia. At a time of life that should spell joy and hope, Xenia is part of a new generation of Ukrainians to be born a refugee.
It was a stark reminder that war is brutal. It doesn’t care how old or young you are.
As we mark 1000 days of the full-scale war on Ukraine, UK for UNHCR CEO @emmacherny joined @KayBurley on @SkyNews this morning alongside Ukrainian refugee Alexandra to speak more about the situation on the ground.
Find out more: https://t.co/loD2dv20t8
Footage: Sky News pic.twitter.com/ZQt1gWpbHl
— UK for UNHCR (@UNRefugeesUK) November 19, 2024
When the war began 1,000 days ago, Xenia’s mother Natalia was on maternity leave from her career as a hairdresser, with her first born, Ivan. Russian attacks forced the family from their home in the port city of Odesa.
“There were a lot of planes flying low, we heard sirens, shooting and shelling. We had blackouts for many hours and spent nights in shelters, listening to the bombing…” explains Natalia about her decision to flee.
Just like in the UK, Moldovans have shown extraordinary compassion and solidarity for their neighbours.
This one small accommodation centre, funded by aid organisations like UNHCR and nurtured by the local community, is a microcosm of so many lives uprooted by war and persecution. Thanks to public support, it provides safety, warmth and hope to refugees who are courageously rebuilding their lives away from home.
Moldova, itself a small country of 2.5 million people, has seen over one million refugees from Ukraine cross its borders since February 2022. Today over 100,000 refugees continue to be offered safety and refuge here.
This week marks 1,000 days since Ukrainians awoke to the terrifying news that a full-scale invasion was underway.
However grim they are, milestones like this matter. They help focus our attention at a time when news headlines can feel overwhelming.
While world leaders talk of action and debate outcomes, there are immediate humanitarian needs on the ground that simply cannot wait.
Missiles are bearing down on Ukraine more intensely than ever, with many thousands of people again sheltering in basements and metro stations on a daily basis, or are displaced from their homes. Today, more than 6 million refugees from Ukraine have fled the country and a further 3.7 million Ukrainians are internally displaced – all of them unable to return home.
Nina and Natalia do not need a milestone to remind them of the cost of this war. Every day carries the same questions. How long can they survive so far from home? When will it be safe to return to their home and their loved ones?
The question for the rest of us, is how can we help?
Relief agencies and local partners are on the ground, delivering winter relief kits, supporting with cash assistance to cover basic needs like medicine, and helping families repair bomb damage to keep the cold out.
Not just in Ukraine and Moldova, but also in other humanitarian crises where winter becomes a fight for survival. In Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan, for example.
The cold truth is that none of this would work without public support. Every donation helps reach one more person or displaced family in a conflict zone. Every act of kindness in a local community reassures a family they are welcome.
Please, join us by taking one small action each today. Let’s show Nina, Natalia and others fleeing war that we will not forget them this winter.
Emma Cherniavsky is CEO of UK for UNHCR. You can follow Emma on LinkedIn by visiting this link.
To learn more about supporting displaced families this winter, visit our Ukraine web page.
