In Kozelets outside Kyiv, a grandmother and a grandmother are waiting anxiously. Are they coming soon? Viktoria Strømme (39) and her daughter Ksenija Shved (8) are sitting in a minibus on the way to the small suburb. They are also excited. Ksenija wonders if her grandmothers made pancakes for her. ESCAPE: Viktoria Strømme (39) and her daughter Ksenija Shved (8) fled to Norway when the war began. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen / NRKPhoto: Håvard Greger Hagen / news It is almost four months since the morning when the plane alarm rang in Kyiv for the first time. On February 24, Russia attacked targets in and around the capital. A Russian column of military vehicles rolled towards the city. Fear and insecurity spread. What would happen now? THE COLUMN: The Russian column heading for Kyiv at the start of the war created fears about what to expect. But the Russian forces never managed to take control of the capital. Photo: – / AFP Like hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, Viktoria and Ksenija chose to flee. With the help of Victoria’s Norwegian ex-husband, they came to Norway. – It was not easy, we have experienced a lot of trauma. I went to a psychologist in Norway. I’ve been so stressed because of the war. The sudden upheaval of life and all the uncertainty about the future, says Viktoria. – And because my mother stayed. Some, but not all Now it is relatively safe and quiet in the metropolitan area. Many war refugees these days are returning to those parts of Ukraine where there are no active fighting. Ukrainian border guards report that about 30,000 people return to the country every day. According to recent figures from the UNHCR, close to 5 million Ukrainians have been registered as refugees in Europe since the Russian invasion. In addition, the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 8 million people are internally displaced in the country. But even though some refugees are now choosing to return, fierce fighting is still going on in eastern Ukraine. In the cities of Sevierodonetsk and Lysychansk, great destruction is reported. DESTRUCTIONS: A man walks through ruins in Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine. There are fierce battles going on in this area. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters Marked by the war news meets Viktoria and Ksenija at the bus station in Kyiv. They are tired after the journey from Norway and a 20-hour bus ride from Krakow in Poland. Now only a short trip with a local bus remains. The longing for Ksenia’s grandmother has been great. For eight days, Viktoria and her daughter will visit the war-torn homeland. Then they return to Norway. They will look at the situation in Ukraine before returning home for good. – It does not look like there is war here anymore. When I left it felt more dangerous, we felt it was war. Now it looks more normal, says Viktoria as we drive through Kyiv. CONTRAST: In Kyiv, daily life has found a kind of new normal. People go to cafes and meet friends, but the war still affects the city. Photo: Natacha Pisarenko / AP In the four months Viktoria and Ksenija have been gone, the cold that ravaged the beginning of the war has been replaced by sun and 30 degrees Celsius. People are dressed in summer clothes, and many cycle in the streets. Some cafes are open. Yet it is unusually quiet, and the presence of war is felt everywhere. Ukrainian flags and posters with encouraging messages adorn the whole of Kyiv. There are many checkpoints with white sandbags to see, although few of them are manned now. From the bus on the way to Kozelets, where Viktoria grew up, she sees several houses in ruins. The area is clearly marked by the Russian army’s attacks. Viktoria has missed the family that remained in Ukraine. – It’s fantastic, but a little sad too, because I’ll be leaving here again very soon, she says. Joy of reunion We approach the apartment of Viktoria’s mother and Ksenija’s grandmother, Svetlana Fonaruik. Ksenija’s grandmother, Oksana Shved, is also waiting with her. ON THE WAY: Viktoria and Ksenija on their way to meet grandma and grandma. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen / NRKPhoto: Håvard Greger Hagen / news Viktoria and Ksenija have got off the bus and are taking quick steps towards grandma’s home. They each carry their own backpack. Viktoria pulls a trolley case behind her. Ksenija catches sight of her grandmothers and starts running. She throws herself into her grandmother’s arms and is lifted up in a warm hug. Then it’s Grandma’s turn. The joy is enormous. All the women are crying and hugging. It’s an emotional moment. – Thank God that we have been able to keep in touch via the internet, says grandmother Svetlana. She says that she has had a hard time after her daughter and granddaughter left. But she understands that Viktoria must do what is in Ksenia’s best interests. JOY OF REVIEW: Ksenija Shevd (8) gives her grandmother, Svetlana Fonaruik, a hug. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen / NRKPhoto: Håvard Greger Hagen / news – We have to endure this, we want to call each other. Will need to be patient and wait, says Svetlana. But right now, there’s just joy and laughter in Grandma’s living room. Victoria and Ksenia’s fatigue is blown away. Can change The war in Ukraine was followed by the largest influx of refugees in Europe since World War II. Some have started to retreat, and more can follow, according to Pål Kolstø, professor at the University of Oslo. – Ukraine is a very large country, and there are regions that are completely safe to return to. This could change from month to month and week to week, says Kolstø to news. UIO: Pål Kolstø is a professor at the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages at the University of Oslo. Photo: UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Photo: UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Whether Ukrainian refugees in the long term choose to stay abroad also depends on how they are met in the countries they come to, Kolstø believes. – An important factor for whether they stay in Norway, is whether there are other Ukrainians there from before where they settle. Kolstø believes that returns to Ukraine after a possible peace agreement will depend on what the country looks like. – If the luck of the war turns against the Ukrainians and they lose ground, then perhaps many will wait to return, he points out. – Others will not return at all, the professor adds. Creating a life Although the bombing of Kyiv and the surrounding areas has slowed down, Viktoria does not think it is safe to move back completely yet. She wants to stay in Norway for a year, and then consider whether it is safe to move home. – If the war stops, we will return, she says. – I’m worried about Ksenija, and I’ve decided to save her. Even though it’s quiet here now, everything can change in 5 minutes. Now Viktoria and her daughter are trying to create a life in Oslo that is similar to the one they had in Ukraine. REJECTED: Ksenija has made several Ukrainian friends at school in Norway. Grandmother Oksana Shved was also involved in the family reunion. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen / NRKPhoto: Håvard Greger Hagen / news Ksenija will start in 3rd grade this autumn. She says that she has met several Ukrainian children at school. – They are my friends now, says Ksenija. The small family will move into an apartment that they have received from the Norwegian authorities, says Viktoria. – I feel that we have a lot in Norway. We get support and help from wonderful people. Help from the authorities with school, integration program and apartment. Everything we need, we get. This is a dream for me, she says. In Ukraine, Viktoria worked as the general manager of a restaurant. Now she hopes to get a job at a café or restaurant in Norway. She has been to a job interview. – I have been to a job interview, so we will see, says the 39-year-old. Viktoria thought her stay in Norway would be short-lived. When she and her daughter arrived, they did not register, because they thought the war would be over after 2-3 weeks. – But now we understand that it will take a long time, says Viktoria.
ttn-69
Viktoria (39) and Ksenija (8) fled to Norway – have not seen grandmother since the war started – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
