Defend Putin and greet Ukrainian refugees at home

In the city of Kongaz in the Gagauz Autonomous Region, near the entrance to a humble house, Yulia looks at the press with suspicion because, she says, upset, they are just “lying” about the war in Ukraine. Conversations in various groups in the city are somewhat disgusting about Ukrainian refugees, who are already aggravated by the usual criticism of the migrant population in different parts of the world.

“They come in big cars and ask us for more. It helps a lot and they look after us, they barely give us hot water and our pension is ridiculous, ”said the woman, while the grandmother, with her hair covered in a red scarf, boasted and said that she missed higher. Standard of living before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

As in almost every part of the Republic of Moldova, in this city of the Gagauz Autonomous Region, Ukrainian refugees also arrived fleeing the war, despite the pro-Russian tendency of the majority. This area, where the Gagauz ethnic minority lives, has three official languages ​​(Gaussian, of Turkish origin; Russian and Romanian) and has enjoyed a special status of autonomy since 1994 due to its residents’ claims to self-determination. – Definition after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Many of her neighbors blame Ukraine for the conflict and deny that Russian forces have bombed civilians, but her opinion does not prevent some of them, such as Maria *, from fleeing the war to their homes, which they justify.

In the warmest room of the house, sitting on a flower bed, Iliana * quickly raises her hands and raises her hands to reflect the distance from Maria’s words: “Russia does not shoot at civilians, only at military bases. “He started this war to protect Russians who have been discriminated against by Ukraine,” said his hostess, a refugee from the conflict and a guest at her home for almost a month.

Iliana does not share Maria’s vision, but neither does she defend the opposite. The refugee, also Gagauz, who grew up in Ukraine at the age of eight, says he has no “clear opinion” about the country responsible for the war. As your hostess speaks, her face is often secretly soaked, but in turn she questions the Ukrainian authorities.

He does not know, or does not want to point to, the responsible side of the conflict, but what he does know is the sound of Russian shells and the screams of his girls after hearing them, especially the little one, who was more. Bored zenith alarm.Intensity suffered due to disability. The only thing that matters to him now is to stay family. He did not feel that either side was protecting them, but he found peace here.

“We do not want to return”

“The girls were scared and now they do not want to go home. The little girl could not sleep, she cried a lot, did not stop and we decided to go out, “said Iliana with a child in her arms. “Political ideas may be different, but I think this war is the fault of the government, both sides, and those who benefit are the rich and the poor.

Maria, a widow and with all her children in Russia, intervenes from time to time to defend the Russian invasion, wearing a black scarf over her head in mourning for her mother’s recent death. He speaks strongly of the alleged “torture” of the Russian population in Donbas by Ukrainian troops, one of the arguments put forward by Vladimir Putin’s propaganda to justify the start of the war, while maintaining signs of love for his host family. A big house full of absences. The woman appreciates the company. The war reduced his loneliness.

“One is politicians and the other is people. “Ukraine is full of fascists, but the weakest suffer.” The woman is currently receiving a pension from the Russian government, which is usually in Moldova.

How they met

Ilia has been living in a village near Odessa since the age of 6, but was born in the Gagauz region. On March 4, the refugee arrived with his three daughters, along with two other Ukrainian families, after traveling tens of kilometers across the Palanka border.

Once in Moldova, he asked volunteers to take him to a childhood village, where he spent a few weeks on vacation. He thought that a relative in his town was no longer to go to, but he decided to go over the map at this point to stay in a place familiar to him. I wanted to feel a little “home” in emigration.

The next day after arriving, Iliana approached the house, which reminded her of her childhood. It was Maria. They are distant cousins. “I knew he had worked in Russia for years and I thought he was there again, but when I saw him, I told him I knew him from childhood and he told us he would take us home. . It had a place for everyone. ” They have not seen each other for more than 20 years.

Maria has sheltered three refugee families from the Ukraine war in her own home, though now only Iliana remains in her home, where she intends to stay at least until the end of the conflict. “I’m not going to let them go,” the 60-year-old housewife lovingly says. Iliana, unlike most of the refugees interviewed by this media, doubts whether she will ever return to Odessa.

“We are very comfortable. “They were very kind to us. It was different when I was a girl in Ukraine.” The girls, despite realizing that the situation has improved, brag when their mother tells them about it.

“In Ukraine, 50% of us behave normally, and another 50% discriminate against us because we are Gagauz,” added the 16-year-old eldest daughter, who said she preferred not to comment on the conflict with friends. People always understand each other. We know that some are with Russia, some with Ukraine, but in any case, I am talking about the war only with my relatives. ”

Maria, very religious, shows kindness to those she takes home and, without nervousness, influences her position when this media shows evidence of attacks by civilians on Russian troops in Ukraine: “Everything is a lie, they are just bombing. “Military bases,” he repeated many times. He only changes once: when he sees the camera and hurries to tell the reasons why he asks not to be filmed. The woman claims she fears that Ukrainian “Nazi groups” “burned” her house. He also demands that none of their real names be published.

Lenin and the Refugee Center

In the same town, a few kilometers away, a statue of Lenin meets Ukrainian refugees housed in a former juvenile center. In one of the rooms, Lily is resting with her two children, aged ten and thirteen. The family arrived in the region a week ago from Kharkov, a city in northeastern Ukraine that was hit by heavy fighting and bombing. His house was damaged by a Russian attack.

“We have no place to return to, but when there is peace, we will return to restore it,” said Lilia in the living room, whose staff denies Russian attacks on civilians and acknowledges that she shares Russia’s reasons for starting the war in Ukraine and defends Kremlin-like arguments.

“The conflict is terrible and the population is not to blame, but if Ukraine had resolved the situation in Donbass a long time ago and there was no discrimination against the Russians, it would never have happened,” said a nurse at the center. Which treats refugees from the center with love.

Lilia knows the prevailing climate of pro-Russian thought in the country where she was met, but does not care. “I did not notice anything. Everyone will have their own opinion, but the neighbors treat us well. “We have everything we need here,” he said with gratitude.

“We love Russia, we have always been neighbors, but we hate Putin,” he said, referring to a family member, a loving and caring child who hugs his mother and bursts into tears as he talks about one of the issues that worries him. To him most: the future.

* Maria and Ilina are fictitious names because both women requested anonymity. None of the pictures shown in this article are relevant to them, but refer to other residents of the area.