Ukrainian Students Talk of Disbelief and Anxiety

as Putin Invades Their Homeland

By Tessa Pang | Magazine | March 5, 2022

Cover Illustration: Protestors showing support for Ukraine at Dam Square in Amsterdam. Alekhya Dossa Remedios / The Amsterdammer

Magazine Reporter Tessa Pang talks to three Ukrainian students at the University of Amsterdam about their anxieties watching the invasion from abroad, as well as the culture and country they’re trying to protect. 

Ukrainian students at the University of Amsterdam are watching in horror as events they prayed would never happen unfold before their eyes – a full-scale Russian invasion of their homeland. 

“At school, the teachers used to prepare us for what to do in an emergency situation like this, but nobody ever took it seriously. We never thought it’d be a reality in our lifetime,” Oleksandra, a second-year business administration student tells me.  

Oleksandra moved to Amsterdam in 2019, but her family still lives in the city where she grew up: Dnipro, in the East of Ukraine. “My father wanted to fight but he can’t because of his health. So, for now, they are staying there. They are not ready to leave their home.”

The decision to stay and protect their homeland or leave to protect themselves is extremely difficult. 

 

5-year-old Vlada in 2006 in traditional Ukrainian clothing. Vlada

“I feel so relieved that my family is able to get out of Ukraine right now,” Vlada, a second-year Media and Culture student, told me on the phone last week. “My parents feel very torn, Ukraine is their homeland.” Her family lives in Odesa. On Thursday, February 24, they left everything they knew and cared about behind to flee to safety.

However, ensuring their families are physically safe is not the only thing Ukrainians abroad are anxious about right now.

“Hoping for them to be physically untouched and safe is just one part of it. We also don’t want our city to be occupied by Russians. We don’t want to be Russian,” says Анна, a public international law master’s student.

“We don’t want the situation where everyone is completely physically okay but in an occupied city, where they will give you a new passport and say that you’re now ‘free’ to be Russian. We don’t need to be ‘freed’.”

Анна’s hometown of Odesa is a strategic site for Russia –  it is a port city with naval bases. Russians have already been shelling the city in an attempt to advance northto Kyiv

“For years, Russians have already been trying to claim my city. I’ve seen pictures of signs that were written in Ukrainian and have been crossed out and are now written in Russian, like they did in Crimea. It’s a small thing but it makes me feel so anxious. I can’t imagine my home city being Russian.” 

Ukrainian culture is a strong one. Vlada tells me that regardless of where she is in the world, she feels connected to Ukraine. “I love Ukraine with my whole soul and body. It’s the place where I grew up. I love the people there, the food and the language.”

 

“Our country is beautiful. When I open TikTok everyone is talking about Italy, Spain, and Greece but they have nothing on Ukraine. We have mountains, we have the sea – it’s all so different and beautiful.” 

“My favorite memories from Ukraine are family vacations,” Oleksandra says. “We’d always go skiing in the winter and visit the sea in the summer – you get the best of both worlds in Ukraine.” 

Holidaying to see the beautiful sites of Ukraine are some of Анна’s favorite memories too. “Because we weren’t very wealthy, every summer we’d holiday in Ukraine. We once took the train 16 hours to go to the mountains and I remember being so excited because it was the first time I had seen mountains.”

“I’m just thinking of those beautiful places now and I can’t imagine them being Russian,” Анна tells me.

 

Anna visiting the mountains in Ukraine. Anna

“When I think about Ukraine I think about the food, like Borscht, a beetroot soup with meat and potatoes, served with Pampushka, which is a very fluffy bread with butter and garlic. Also Pelmeni, which are dumplings. I would quite literally sell my soul for some Holubtsi (Ukrainian stuffed cabbage) right now.” Vlada says.

Top left: Borscht; Bottom Left: Pampushka; Top Right: Pelmeni; and Bottom Right: Holubtsi. Vlada

Vlada questions if those things will be there when she gets back, or whether she will even go back. “I don’t know if I’m going to get to relive those memories ever again.”

Even though many cities in Ukraine share a language and some national foods with Russia, the culture of Ukraine is distinct. “It just makes me so anxious because even though some of us speak Russian, we aren’t Russian. We have a completely different culture.” Анна says. 

For Ukrainians, the rights to freedom and democracy are integral. For centuries, they have resisted Russian rule and fostered a culture of democracy that rose from the ashes of the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917. 

“We have freedom and democracy. If you don’t like the President, you can vote for another one. If we don’t like something, we can have a revolution, which we’ve done a few times.” says Анна. 

Ukraine has already undergone three successful democratic revolutions in 1990, 2004, and 2013-14. Each of these revolutions has concretized the important role of civil society in deciding the future of the nation. 

“For me, losing freedom is the most dangerous thing. It’s a huge part of our culture – it’s in our schools, our history, our national songs. We’re not afraid to just post something on social media and say our views. I don’t want to lose that,” Анна tells me. 

“I’m angry about the situation, but I’m not angry at all Russians,” Oleksandra says. “I can’t be angry at a whole nation, because I know so many Russians don’t want this war to happen. It was the decision of their President, and they are also in a difficult situation with a President they can’t get rid of.” 

For Russia, the existence of a well-functioning democracy right at their border poses a threat. 

Putin fears Ukraine’s values of democratic freedom could inspire similar democratic movements within Russia, threatening his own supremacy. This means Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not just a threat to Ukrainians, but to the entire democratic world.  

“If other people sit and do nothing, it will not just be our problem in Ukraine, but your problem too, because Russia will not stop,” Анна says. 

“My advice for other students is to just talk about it nonstop,” Vlada says. “Even if you have only 50 followers on social media, it’s still worth sharing something and saying something.”

“I appreciate it so much when people text me asking me how my family is and if I’m ok. Even people I’ve only met once or twice, it’s nice to know they’re taking the time to think about you,” Oleksandra tells me. 

To support Ukraine, one of the best things you can do is to donate to organizations that are helping Ukraine fight for freedom or go to protests to demand peace. 

Here are some useful links to places to donate to: 

  1. National Bank of Ukraine – fundraising account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine
  2. To Support the Ukrainian Army
  3. To support humanitarian organizations 

Even though Ukraine is being invaded by one of the world’s largest and most powerful militaries, Vlada still has hope for her country. “It’s important for the whole world to know that Ukraine is a very strong nation. Our people are incredibly resilient, so I think that in the end, we’re going to get through this.” 

“It’s important for the whole world to know that Ukraine is a very strong nation. Our people are incredibly resilient, so I think that in the end, we’re going to get through this.” – Vlada, a Ukrainian student at the UvA

Tessa Pang is a student at the University of Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer. 

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